The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has hit a new historic high in public opinion polls, having closed the gap with the leading CDU/CSU alliance within just a few weeks. It now trails Friedrich Merz’s party by only 2%. Meanwhile, German voters are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the fumbling of the parties attempting to form a government.

The early elections in Germany ended with a victory for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance, giving CDU leader Friedrich Merz the opportunity of trying to form a government. After ruling out cooperation with the Alternative for Germany (AfD), his remaining options were the Greens and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). However, negotiations have stalled as they have failed to reach agreement on fundamental questions impacting the economy, migration, and foreign policy. Merz had promised to officially be chancellor by Easter, but it now seems likely he will fail in this mission.

These disputes and political squabbles are reflected in the latest polls. Support for the CDU/CSU alliance has dropped from 29% at the time of the election to 26%, while AfD—finishing second in the vote—has climbed to a record 24%, according to the ARD Germany Trend survey. The SPD continues to lag behind at 16%, while the Greens have further damaged their standing, receiving just 11% if elections were to be held again this Sunday.

Infratest dimap (#ARD–#Deutschlandtrend) bestätigt den steilen Aufstieg der #AfD.
Aber: Da geht noch mehr!
Jetzt müssen wir konzentriert bleiben und weitere Zweifler überzeugen. pic.twitter.com/PxRg6ZiYIF

— Johann Martel (@afd_wallduern) April 3, 2025

It’s not only the would-be governing parties that are performing poorly in the polls—their leaders are suffering as well. Although Friedrich Merz is still considered the most likely candidate to become German chancellor, his popularity has plunged by 10 percentage points since the election. True, it wasn’t particularly high then either, showing only 35%. Bavaria’s CSU leader, Markus Soder, currently holds a 35% approval rating, with a similar rating for SPD leader Lars Klingbeil.

Pessimism Surrounds Incoming Government
A recent survey revealed that people are deeply pessimistic about the formation of a government. Twenty percent of respondents said they are „worried,” while 53% are „very worried” that the parties won’t be able to find common solutions to urgent political issues.

According to Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research, the CDU/CSU and SPD have achieved little in recent weeks—except helping the right-wing AfD grow stronger—while undermining each other. “It seems that CDU/CSU and SPD are more focused on preserving their interests and protecting their voter base than on doing the actual work to be done,” Fratzscher added.

Many voters, including a significant number of CDU/CSU members, clearly do not believe in the political shift that Merz promised during the campaign. This makes it even more critical for the CDU/CSU to achieve results in the coalition talks with the SPD. Rainer Haseloff, the CDU’s minister-president of Saxony-Anhalt, warned that change must be palpable quickly—especially in migration policy: “And if a coalition agreement and a government capable of solving problems are not hammered out now, we will lose the political advantage we gained in the elections,” he said.