Shift in German Political Landscape as AFD Gains Support
A notable change in the German political scene has occurred, with support for the Alternative for Germany (AFD) party reaching an unprecedented level. This shift comes as the “black” coalition government faces declining approval after a brief 100 days in power.
A recent poll conducted by the Forsa Research Institute for RTL Deutschland revealed that 26% of 2,505 German voters now back the AFD. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Friedrich Merz’s coalition, which is part of the ruling union, has fallen to 24% support, marking a significant drop.
Overall, Merz’s coalition government has seen its approval ratings plummet to 37%. The Social Democrats (SPD), who have struggled after losing the previous election, now sit at just 13%, ranking them nearly on par with the Greens and slightly ahead of the left-wing party, Die Linke.
Approval for Prime Minister Merz has also dipped, with only 29% of respondents expressing satisfaction with his performance at this early stage of his government, while a striking 67% indicated they are dissatisfied with CDU politicians.
Amid rising concerns regarding the nation’s future, only 14% of voters believe Germany’s economy will improve, while a significant 62% foresee further decline.
Many voters appear skeptical about the capacity of political parties to make a difference, with around half indicating that none of the available options inspire confidence in their ability to address the country’s challenges.
In light of this discontent, over 40% of voters (43%) doubt that the current governing coalition will last until its full term in 2027. This marks a stark contrast to the previous SPD-led “traffic light” government, which, by comparison, enjoyed a 75% approval rate shortly after its formation in March 2022. Back then, 73% of the public felt that then-Prime Minister Olaf Scholz was performing well.
That government eventually collapsed after the election of Donald Trump in the United States, leaving the Social Democrats humiliated in February’s elections, where they ranked behind the CDU/CSU and AFD.
Interestingly, despite the significant fall of the founding Left party, Prime Minister Merz opted to collaborate with the SPD rather than forming a right-wing government with the AFD. This aligns with the intention to create a “firewall” against populist parties.
However, Merz’s administration may not be entirely comfortable with its stance on the AFD, especially following a report from Berlin’s BFV political intelligence agency earlier this year, which labeled the AFD as a “right-wing extremist” organization.
