Angela Merkel heckled during speech in German Bundestag
Angela Merkel has served as German Chancellor since 2005, known as 'Mutti' (a German form of 'mama') to her supporters. But now, as she prepares to stand down after the September 26 election, her long-reigning Christian Democratic Union (CDU) looks all but certain to lose power.
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The latest opinion poll for the Forsa Institute suggests the Social Democratic Party (SPD) is on course to win the election with 25 percent of the vote.
The CDU, however, has fallen as low as 19 percent, thought to be the party's lowest rating ever measured by Forsa since 1949.
The other key rival, the Greens, are polling around 17 percent.
This week, Ms Merkel broke her pattern of silence during this election campaign to attack the SPD leader, Olaf Scholz.
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She warned that voting for the SPD would mean voting for the far left, saying that "Germany faces a choice of direction".
However, some experts believe that Mr Scholz is representing the one thing the CDU isn't offering anymore: More Merkel.
Mr Scholz is believed to offer the closest match with Ms Merkel - a prudent finance minister and moderate with policy platforms of higher minimum wage, more affordable housing and stable pensions.
Daniela Schwarzer, of the Open Society Foundations in Berlin, said: "There is no appetite for policy change or style change.
"But there is an appetite for a non-CDU chancellor at some point.