The political crisis in Germany is deepening for Chancellor Friedrich Merz. After heavy losses in the September elections in three states, the latest polls put his government at an alarming political low: only 10% of Germans say they are satisfied with the work of the cabinet and the chancellor.
Heavy losses for the CDU in several regions
The September elections in three states turned into a serious blow for Merz’s CDU. In Saxony-Anhalt, the party lost half of its votes and was pushed out of power, while it suffered the same fate in Berlin.
In some cases, the decline was even deeper: the CDU failed to clear the electoral threshold. For a force that has been a pillar of post-war German politics, this is a grave signal that can hardly be downplayed with routine electoral explanations.
Only 1 in 10 satisfied with the government
According to the latest poll by German institutions, only one in ten citizens is satisfied with the performance of the coalition government and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. These are historically low levels of support.
The decline is not limited to general public opinion. Even within the CDU electorate, only 40% still say they are satisfied with Merz, showing that the problem is not simply a confrontation with the opposition, but also an erosion of support within his own political base.
Coalition in difficulty, AfD emerges as leading force
The poll, conducted with 1,303 voters from September 28 to 30, highlights a sharp shift in Germany’s political climate. According to this survey, Alternative for Germany, AfD, emerges as the leading force in the country.
At the same time, the CDU is declining, while dissatisfaction with the CDU, CSU and SPD coalition appears to be turning into a direct electoral cost. The data suggest a deep weakening of the governing camp, beyond the usual fluctuations of polling.
CDU/CSU drops to 20%, AfD rises to 27%
If Bundestag elections were held now, according to the poll, the CDU/CSU Union would win only 20% of the vote. That would be one of the weakest results in the history of this political force.
AfD, meanwhile, leads with 27%, a gap that makes even clearer the scale of the political crisis being experienced by the bloc led by Merz. For the German government, the figures show not only temporary dissatisfaction, but a strong signal of public distrust.
The CDU’s decline in the states and Merz’s weakening in the polls are placing the German government under unusual political pressure.
If this trend is confirmed in future polling, the governing coalition will find it increasingly difficult to present the crisis as a temporary episode.