The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has widened its lead over Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s ruling Christian Democrats (CDU), according to a new poll released Saturday by the INSA institute.
According to the survey, the AfD received 29% support, well ahead of the CDU and its Bavarian CSU ally, while the conservative coalition received only 21% support.
The survey shows that the CDU/CSU’s junior coalition partner, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), could become Germany’s fourth-largest party with 12% support, behind the environmentalist Greens with 14%, but ahead of the Socialist Left Party with 11%.
According to the INSA survey, about 77% of respondents were dissatisfied with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s performance in the government, 6 points more than in April.
Merz warns of ‘big bang’ from AfD in state elections
Also on Saturday, Merz warned against what he described as a possible “big bang” breakthrough by the AfD in regional elections.
“There is much more at stake than just the future of the government,” Merz said at a party conference in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the country’s northeast.
“If we’re not good enough, there’s just going to be this big bang,” Merz said. “In a different way than some people might have imagined.”
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Eastern Saxony-Anhalt are scheduled to go to the polls in September, with surveys showing the AfD could become the largest party in both states for the first time in their history.
The state government in Saxony-Anhalt is currently held by the CDU, while the premiership of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania is held by the SPD.
Recent polls have shown the AfD having a huge lead over the CDU in Saxony-Anhalt, as well as the SPD in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.