Union's persistent downfall, according to Forsa
In a significant development for German politics, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has overtaken the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, marking the AfD's strongest position since the 2025 federal election.
According to the latest Forsa poll, conducted between August 24 and 30, 2021, the AfD leads with 11% of the votes, a gain of one point from the previous poll. The CDU/CSU follows closely with 24% of the votes, a significant drop of 4.5 points compared to their last election performance.
The SPD and Greens share similar support at 13% each in this poll. The Greens, who have consistently shown strong support in recent years, maintain their position with 18% of the votes. The Left (Die Linke) party holds 6% of the votes, while the FDP remains at 12%.
Interestingly, 9% of the votes would be distributed among one of the other 48 parties.
The poll was conducted on behalf of Mediengruppe RTL and collected data from a sample size of 2508 respondents. It's worth noting that no party, according to Forsa, would reach more than 3% of the votes.
The CDU/CSU's current position is attributed to public dissatisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with approximately 67% of Germans unhappy with his performance in office after 100 days. This dissatisfaction has likely contributed to the CDU/CSU's decline.
The governing coalition, consisting of CDU/CSU and SPD, may find it challenging to maintain office, as their combined virtual seat share of 42.5% may not be sufficient.
These results reflect a notable shift to the right in German politics, mirroring trends in other European countries where right-wing parties gain ground.
A recent photo of Armin Laschet, the CDU/CSU's candidate for the 2021 federal election, was published by dts Nachrichtenagentur.
[1] Forsa Poll Results, August 24-30, 2021 [2] Mediengruppe RTL Poll Results, August 24-30, 2021 [3] Public Opinion on Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Performance [4] German Political Landscape: A Shift to the Right [5] European Right-Wing Parties on the Rise
- While the Greens and SPD share similar support at 13% each, other smaller parties, comprising a collective 9% of the votes, are also significant players in German general-news and politics.
- The recent shift to the right in German politics, as reflected in the Forsa Poll Results, mirrors the increasing influence of other right-wing parties across Europe.
