German conservative lead narrows as far-right makes further gains
Latest polls show Christian Democrats dropping to 28% while far-right AfD rises to 21%, with a quarter of voters undecided days before crucial elections
Billboards and posters of the parties and candidates' posters are hung on the streets ahead of the parliamentary elections, which will be held in February, in Berlin, Germany on January 15, 2025.
BERLIN
Germany's center-right CDU/CSU alliance has lost 2 percentage points just days before Sunday's snap elections, while the far-right AfD has made slight gains.
Conservative leader Friedrich Merz and his CDU/CSU bloc have fallen to 28% – their worst polling performance this year – according to the latest survey by public broadcaster ZDF.
The far-right AfD has consolidated its position as the country's second-strongest political force, reaching 21% support by adding one percentage point. The anti-immigrant party maintains its strongest support base in the ex-communist East German states.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) remains at 16% – a figure that would mark the party's worst electoral performance since 1949. Their coalition partners, the Greens, hold steady at 14%.
The socialist Die Linke party looks set to clear the 5% threshold with 8% support, while both the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the newly formed BSW stand at 4.5%, facing possible exclusion from parliament.
Adding to the uncertainty, more than a quarter of eligible voters (27%) remain undecided just days before the crucial vote.
Based on projected parliamentary seat distribution, analysts anticipate a coalition between the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the center-left SPD as the most likely outcome. However, if the smaller parties – Die Linke, FDP, and BSW – all secure seats in parliament, the CDU/CSU would need to form a three-party coalition. Such a scenario would likely lead to extended coalition negotiations.
