Alternative for Germany surges to record 26% in latest poll

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party continues its rise in the polls, reaching a historic high of 26 per cent, according to a recent survey.

This marks a major shift in German politics just two weeks before the election of a new chancellor. For the first time in Forsa polling history, AfD has surpassed the conservative bloc of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), which remains at 25 per cent, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

The poll, commissioned by RTL and NTV, shows AfD's support has increased by 2 percentage points over the past week. Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), led by acting Chancellor Olaf Scholz, maintains 15 per cent support. The Green Party has seen a slight drop of 1 percentage point, now standing at 11 per cent. Other smaller parties are also part of the shifting political landscape. The Left Party holds 9 per cent, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) saw a small improvement, reaching 4 per cent. 

The "Sahra Wagenknecht - For Reason and Justice" alliance remains steady at 4 per cent. In another part of the survey, respondents were asked whether they believed CDU leader Friedrich Merz would govern the country better than Scholz. A majority, 53 per cent, disagreed, while 42 per cent felt Merz would be more effective in leadership. The survey, conducted from April 15 to 17, sampled 1,502 participants. 

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) was founded in April 2013 amidst the economic turmoil in the Eurozone and the debt crisis in Greece. Initially, the party focused mainly on economic issues. However, as the migration crisis in Germany and the European Union deepened, the AfD began to gain support by emphasising its stance on refugees. In Germany, it is considered a right-wing populist party. Other political forces find it impossible to cooperate with the AfD in coalition governments, both at the federal and regional levels. In the early Bundestag elections on February 23, the AfD achieved a historic second-place finish for the first time.

By Naila Huseynova