Berlin – Campaign posters are slowly taking up every available inch of space in Germany, urging voters to back policies ranging from better education to forced ejection of migrants.

Nonethless, despite a record number of parties contesting the September 24 poll, it still remains very much a match between Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Martin Schulz of the Social Democrats (SPD).

And even that race can seem unbalanced at times, with Schulz attempting to gain traction with policies such as removing nuclear weapons from German soil … while Merkel provides interviews about the way she makes potato soup.

Schulz did see some gains against Merkel, according to last Friday’s Politbarometer poll by public broadcaster ZDF. However, while Schulz got the backing of 34 per cent of respondents in the survey – four more points than in mid-August – Merkel’s scores went up five points to 55 per cent.

The boost in support for Schulz did not, however, translate to support for his SPD. The party saw its support drop by two points to 22 per cent, versus a loss of one point for the CDU, which now enjoys 39-per-cent support.