The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has opened up a record lead over the CDU/CSU, according to a new Insa poll that underlines the opposition conservatives’ deepening difficulties. The survey places the AfD at 27%, up one point, while the Union drops to 24.5% – the largest gap between the two parties since the polling series began.
The numbers confirm a sustained shift in Germany’s political landscape. The governing Social Democrats (SPD) continue their slide, falling to 14.5%. Together, the CDU/CSU and SPD would muster just 39%. The Greens hold at 11%, and the Left Party at 10.5%. Smaller parties fare poorly: the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) polls at 4%, and the Free Democrats (FDP) at 3.5%, both below the threshold for entering the Bundestag.
The personal rankings reflect the same trend. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel climbs into ninth place, while CDU leader Friedrich Merz drops to 18th. Other senior Union figures also lose ground, including Chancellery chief Thorsten Frei and General Secretary Carsten Linnemann, who falls out of the top ten.
Despite the AfD’s surge, Germany’s governing coalition and the Union leadership continue to maintain their “Brandmauer” against cooperation with the anti-immigration party. But a recent ARD-DeutschlandTrend special survey points to shifting public sentiment: nearly half of CDU/CSU voters now favour case-by-case collaboration with the AfD, with an additional 10% expressing general support for closer cooperation.
