Germany’s AfD becomes most popular party for first time

The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has, for the first time in its history, become the most popular political party in the country.

A specially commissioned poll showed that AfD is currently supported by 26% of German voters, placing it ahead of all other parties, according to Bild.

The ultra-right party has overtaken the CDU/CSU bloc, led by current Chancellor Friedrich Merz, which now enjoys support from 25% of voters. Other parties show mixed trends but remain far behind the two leaders: the Social Democrats (SPD) have 15%, while the Greens and The Left each have 11%.

Bild notes that if parliamentary elections were held today, the current governing coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD would only secure 40% of the vote, insufficient to form a government.

“This is the first time that neither the CDU/CSU nor the SPD, but the AfD, has emerged as Germany’s leading political force. Previously, the last time a party other than CDU/CSU led the polls was in March 2022, when the SPD was ahead,” Bild reports.

By Khagan Isayev