Abstract
This paper addresses the role of candidate orientations, issue orientations and party identification in shaping voting behaviour in the 2009 federal election. In line with the notion that the 2009 campaign was rather ‘issue-less’ and candidate-centred, the analysis shows that candidate orientations were more effective as predictors than issue orientations. Moreover, preferences for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her challenger, the Social Democrat Frank-Walter Steinmeier, exhibited somewhat different effects. Taking a closer look at Chancellor Merkel, the analysis demonstrates that she had become much more popular during her first term. Given this increase in popularity and the substantive effect of candidate preference on vote choice, Merkel was an electoral asset for the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) in 2009.
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