German Chancellor Merz continues to lose popularity, poll shows

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s popularity has fallen to a record low, Der Spiegel reports, citing a poll conducted by research group Wahlen.

The group said respondents were asked to rate 10 German politicians on a scale ranging from plus 5 to minus 5.

Merz received a score of minus 1.9, his lowest rating to date. At the end of July, he scored minus 1.5.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius topped the ranking with a score of 1.3, while Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-chair Alice Weidel came last with minus 2.5.

An earlier poll by polling institute Forsa also showed Merz’s support at a record low.

The AfD leads the party rankings with 27% support. The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) bloc was backed by 22% of respondents, followed by the Greens at 14% and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Left Party at 12% each.

The remaining parties failed to clear the 5% threshold.

The poll was conducted from August 17 to 19 among 1,319 people.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov