German far-right AfD leads polls as Chancellor Merz's popularity declines

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has widened its lead to three percentage points against Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc, according to an opinion poll released Tuesday.

The Forsa Institute's representative survey polled the anti-immigrant AfD at 27%, while Merz's ruling Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) dropped one percentage point to 24%. The results gave the AfD its largest measured lead against the conservative bloc at the national level.

The poll indicates support for Merz's coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), remained steady at 13%. That would leave the governing coalition without a parliamentary majority if parliamentary elections were held this month.

The environmentalist Greens gained one percentage point to 12%. The socialist Left Party (11%), the left-wing populist BSW (4%) and the liberal FDP (3%) all maintained their previous week's levels. About 22% of respondents identified themselves as undecided or non-voters.​​​​​​​

Merz's personal approval ratings have also declined, beyond party standings. Only 26% of respondents expressed satisfaction with his performance, a two-point drop from previous measurements. Among CDU/CSU bloc supporters, 64% remained satisfied with the chancellor, while an overwhelming 95% of AfD voters expressed dissatisfaction with the conservative leader.

Merz's Christian Democrats won elections in February with 28.5% of the vote, but failed to secure an absolute majority in parliament. After weeks of negotiations with the center-left SPD, Merz succeeded in clinching a coalition deal in April.

On May 6, the German parliament elected him as the 10th chancellor in a second-round vote, ending months of political uncertainty.​​​​​​​

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