62% of German voters now say they are unhappy with Friedrich Merz’s performance as chancellor, while only 26% express approval, according to a new poll.
Discontent with the grand coalition of the centre-right CDU/CSU and left-wing SPD is similarly high, with 63% critical of its work.
Merz campaigned on promises to control migration, reduce debt, and lower energy taxes, but critics argue he has failed on all fronts.
On migration, his CDU has faced accusations of weakness as asylum seekers continue to overwhelm Germany and citizenship approvals for migrants surge in major cities.
According to separate polling, the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has overtaken the CDU/CSU, underlining the depth of public frustration with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government.
An INSA survey published on Tuesday, September 23, by Bild places the AfD on 26%, half a point higher than the previous week and ahead of the CDU/CSU on 24.5%, which lost one point.
The Social Democrats (SPD) remained at 14.5%, while the Greens fell slightly to 11%. The far-left Die Linke gained marginally to 11.5%. Smaller groups such as the liberal FDP and the left-wing nationalist BSW remain below the 5% threshold needed to enter the Bundestag.
Only a hypothetical coalition between the CDU/CSU and AfD would currently command a majority, a scenario firmly rejected by mainstream parties.
The results reflect mounting dissatisfaction with Merz’s government, which took office in May but has quickly lost public confidence.
The AfD was quick to seize on the latest numbers, declaring in a post on X that “the citizens have had enough of this ideological government!”
For Merz, the polls are particularly bruising. Not only is his party slipping behind the AfD, but his personal popularity has sunk to 18th place in INSA’s rankings—well below leaders from across the political spectrum.
