A recent survey shows that the national conservative Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) continues to hold first place in the federal voting preferences, with 27% support.
The polling by the opinion research institute GMS positions the party three percentage points ahead of the Union (CDU/CSU), which stands at 24%. The Social Democrats (SPD) have risen slightly to 15%, while Alliance 90/The Greens remain steady at 12%. The Left is at 10%, losing one point but maintaining a double-digit presence.
Smaller parties remain below the 5% threshold, with Sahra Wagenknecht’s alliance at 4%, the FDP at 3%, and the Free Voters at 2%. Other parties collectively account for 3%.
In a separate December poll conducted by Insa for Bild, AfD leader Alice Weidel also emerged as the most popular choice for chancellor in a hypothetical direct election. According to the survey, 26% of respondents would choose Weidel, ahead of CDU leader Friedrich Merz at 20% and the SPD’s Lars Klingbeil at 12%. Interestingly, 31 % of respondents indicated “none of them” when asked whom they would support.
Weidel enjoys strong backing within her party, with 92% of AfD voters wanting her to have greater influence, in contrast to the party’s divisive and controversial figure Björn Höcke. Overall approval for the federal government remains low, with only 21% of respondents expressing satisfaction with its performance.
From a coalition perspective, the survey data suggests that two-party combinations would leave only one majority option: an AfD–Union alliance. All other two-party pairings poll short of the required majority, leaving three-party coalitions, such as Union–SPD–Greens or Union–SPD–Left, as the only mathematically possible alternatives.
