Scholz's SPD up three points after German migration debate, poll shows

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) gained three percentage points after refusing to support a divisive bill on migration put forward by the conservatives and backed by a far-right party, a YouGov opinion poll showed on Wednesday.

Less than three weeks before a federal election, the poll showed the conservative CDU/CSU bloc holding its lead, unchanged at 29%.

However, a three point gain to 18% for the SPD suggests that voters see the party as a counterweight to the new CDU/CSU strategy, YouGov said.

Furthermore, half of voters believe conservative leader Friedrich Merz has torn down a firewall against the far-right, added YouGov.

The poll showed the anti-immigrant, nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Greens party each losing one point and the radical Left party gaining one.

The Greens have lost three points since Jan. 22 and thus momentum, YouGov said, citing their softer line on migration.

Public angst over migration has surged in Germany amid a flurry of violent incidents involving immigrants, even though the country saw a 34% drop in asylum requests as well as in illegal arrivals last year.

(Reporting by Andrey Sychev; Editing by Ludwig Burger and Madeline Chambers)

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