AfD reaches top place on German opinion poll for first time
(MENAFN) For the first time in its history, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has topped a major national opinion poll, surpassing the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance. According to an Ipsos survey released on Wednesday, the AfD now holds 25% of public support, while the CDU/CSU bloc trails at 24%.
The survey, conducted on April 4-5 with 1,000 eligible voters, shows the AfD gaining three points since the previous poll in early March, while the CDU/CSU dropped by five points. Support for outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) remained steady at 15%, and the Greens fell to 11%, now tied with the Left Party, which gained two points, reaching its highest level since December 2016.
AfD leader Alice Weidel celebrated the party’s rise, emphasizing that citizens are seeking political change rather than a continuation of the existing CDU/CSU-SPD coalition.
In Germany’s federal election earlier this year, the CDU/CSU won 28.5% of the vote, with CDU leader Friedrich Merz, the presumed next chancellor, negotiating a coalition with the SPD, which suffered a historic defeat. The coalition aims to keep the AfD out of power, with talks focusing on migration, climate, and EU relations.
Political analysts attribute the AfD’s rise to growing public frustration with mainstream parties and the delays in forming a coalition. Despite the AfD’s gains, it remains isolated, with other parties refusing to cooperate due to the party’s controversial stance on Germany’s Nazi past and its extremism concerns. The AfD, however, denies its far-right label, claiming it advocates for German interests, especially regarding immigration.
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