Merkel's conservatives shake off plagiarism row-poll

The weekly nationwide poll by Forsa Institute found Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and Bavarian sister party Christian Social Union had risen 2 percentage points to 36 percent.

That puts the governing conservatives back on the upward path they had been tracing ahead of state elections due this month that could influence the government's euro zone policy.

Merkel's junior coalition partners, the Free Democrats, were unchanged at 5 percent, the threshold to enter parliament.

The poll showed the main opposition Social Democrats losing a point at 26 percent and the Greens steady at 16 percent.

Forsa director Manfred Guellner said the scandal around Guttenberg, in which he was accused of copying substantial parts of his doctoral thesis, had initially hurt conservative support but his resignation had helped restore their credibility.

The survey was conducted from February 28-March 4 and Guttenberg resigned on March 1.

The chancellor appointed Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, whom commentators consider a Merkel loyalist, as Guttenberg's successor in the defence portfolio.

This month's key German state election in Baden-Wuerttemberg on March 27 takes place two days after a euro zone summit which markets anticipate will end with a deal on significant new commitments to bolster euro zone bailout fund, the EFSF.

The opposition has accused the chancellor of taking a hardline position in Europe because of the state elections.

Polls in the south-western state suggested the conservatives could lose their grip on power in Baden-Wuerttemberg, which has been a CDU bastion for almost 60 years.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey)