According to a recent Forsa poll conducted for broadcaster RTL, the far-right AfD has overtaken Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) to become Germany’s second-largest party. The poll shows that the AfD has the support of 19% of those surveyed, up two percentage points from the previous week, while the SPD remains stuck at 18%. The conservative CDU/CSU alliance has dropped by one point to 29%, the Greens have remained on 14%, and the FDP is at 7%. Forsa conducted the survey from June 6 to June 12, interviewing 2,504 people.
The AfD's recent rise in polling has been driven by increasing public frustration over issues such as record immigration, sustained inflation, and costly climate protection measures. The party asserts that humans are not contributing to global warming and proposes stopping more foreigners from coming to Germany. By exploiting the infighting in Scholz's coalition government made up of SPD, Green, and Free Democrat parties, the AfD has been able to gain support from voters.
While SPD Defense Minister Boris Pistorius remains the most popular politician, according to a separate Forsa poll, there has been a decline in support for other members of the government. The poll of 1,507 people conducted June 7-9 showed that Pistorius had an approval rating of 59, up three points compared to April. Meanwhile, Scholz's rating fell by two points to 40 and Economy Minister Robert Habeck declined by six points to 34. Habeck, the Greens vice chancellor has been highly criticized in recent weeks regarding the government's climate policy. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, also of the Greens, lost two points to 38, while Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who leads the Free Democrats, slipped by the same amount to 34, level with Habeck.
In summary, the Forsa poll results show that the far-right AfD has climbed to become Germany's second-largest party, while support for other government figures has declined. The AfD's rise is largely a result of its campaign against immigration, high inflation rates, and environmental policies, which has resonated with disgruntled voters. Meanwhile, the ruling parties' disputes have laid the groundwork for the AfD to strengthen its position, a trend that could have significant political repercussions.