Germany’s far-right AfD tops poll for first time

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has overtaken all other parties in a major opinion poll for the first time, garnering 25% support, according to an Ipsos survey published on Wednesday.

24 March 2025, Berlin: Alice Weidel, Party and Parliamentary group leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), gives a press conference after their party's parliamentary group meeting. Otten is a candidate for the office of Vice President of the German Bundestag.

Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa

The poll shows conservative leader Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) losing five percentage points to 24%, while support for outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) remains at 15%.

The AfD’s rise deals a blow to Merz’s center-right bloc, which hoped to regain voters from the far-right party. In February, the AfD achieved a historic second-place finish in Germany’s parliamentary election — the highest level of support for the far right since World War Two.

Merz’s CDU/CSU and Scholz’s SPD are currently negotiating a coalition deal aimed at keeping the AfD out of power. Both sides face differences on tax policy and migration, with an agreement expected later on Wednesday, sources told Reuters.

Alice Weidel, co-leader of the AfD, celebrated the poll results on X, writing: “The people want political change — not ‘business as usual’ from a CDU/CSU-SPD coalition.”

(jh)

Source: Euractiv, Reuters