New poll shows German Conservatives widening lead over far-right
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The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) dropped one point to 20%, while Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats remained at 15%, matched with the Greens.
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Friedrich Merz, CDU candidate and chancellor and CDU federal chairman, speaks at the 37th federal party conference of the CDU in Berlin, Germany, on February 3, 2025. (AP)
Support for Germany's conservative opposition has increased marginally, indicating that Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) leader Friedrich Merz's contentious drive for harsher migrant regulations has not harmed his hopes of being elected, a new poll showed.
The CDU/CSU coalition gained one point to 30% in a Forschungsgruppe Wahlen poll for public broadcaster ZDF published on Friday.
It is the first significant survey to reflect voter sentiment following Merz's botched parliamentary vote last Friday. A different survey by Infratest dimap revealed that the conservative alliance gained one point.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) lost one point to 20%, while Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats remained at 15%, matched with the Greens.
As the February 23 election approaches, Merz is on track to become Germany's next leader, but he will need at least one coalition partner to gain a majority in parliament.
The Social Democrats and Greens are his most likely options, though he may require a third party to fill the gaps in a three-way coalition. All of Germany's major political parties have stated that they would not form a coalition government with the AfD.
That so-called barrier between the mainstream establishment and the far-right organization was breached when, following a fatal knife assault in Bavaria reportedly perpetrated by a rejected asylum seeker, Merz's bloc attempted to pass laws with the AfD's help. His decision caused political uproar and public protests in various locations.
According to the survey, the far-left Linke is the only other party that might reach the 5% threshold for parliamentary seats.
The Forschungsgruppe Wahlen also questioned who people would vote for if they could pick their chancellor directly. Merz received 32%, up 2 points from the previous survey, while Robert Habeck of the Greens stayed at 24%. Scholz was at 18%, down two points.
On Thursday, German business leaders urged the incoming administration to act quickly to reactivate investment and restore growth to Europe's largest economy.
