According to recent surveys conducted by Forsa, the AfD remains the strongest political force with a 27 percent share of the vote. Meanwhile, the Union continues a downward trend, hitting a new weekly low of 20 percent in the polls conducted by RTL and ntv. The Greens lost one percentage point compared to the previous week, settling at 17 percent. They maintain a lead over the SPD and The Left, both of which hold 12 percent. The FDP’s share is stable at four percent, while the BSW registers three percent. The proportion of non-voters and undecided individuals stands at 25 percent, which is higher than the 17.9 percent seen in the 2025 federal election.
For German citizens, the state elections in Eastern Germany remained the most significant issue in the preceding two weeks, cited as a top concern by 39 percent. This was followed by the national government’s performance, mentioned by 35 percent, and high gasoline prices, at 21 percent. Other key concerns included the overall economic situation (16 percent), radical right-wing politics or the AfD (13 percent), the war in Ukraine (12 percent), and the Middle East conflict (10 percent).
When asked which party they trust most to solve Germany’s problems, the AfD holds the lead again, with 13 percent, unchanged. The Union lost another percentage point, dropping to ten percent. Eight percent of respondents believe the Greens possess political competence, while both the SPD and The Left secured six percent each. Importantly, 54 percent of all respondents expressed the belief that no single party is capable of resolving Germany’s issues.
Voters cite the failure of the CDU and CSU to adequately address everyday concerns as the main reason for the Union’s decline, with 81 percent identifying this factor as a cause for the losses. Furthermore, two-thirds of respondents hold Chancellor Friedrich Merz (66 percent) and the perceived broken election promise not to incur new debt (64 percent) accountable for the party’s poor performance. Fifty-seven percent attribute the losses to the Union’s perceived socially unbalanced government policy. Other reasons given included a delayed effect of former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policies (45 percent), making too many compromises with the SPD (35 percent), and an overly conservative direction by the Union (30 percent).
Even among remaining CDU/CSU supporters, everyday concerns are the most frequently cited reason for losing voters: 63 percent point to this issue. Among those who voted CDU or CSU in the 2025 federal election but no longer want to vote for the Union, this figure rises steeply to 86 percent. Among those disillusioned voters, 68 percent name the broken debt promise and 65 percent name Merz as reasons for their departure.
Regarding Merz, 55 percent of the public believe he should step down as Chancellor, while 40 percent support him remaining in office. AfD supporters are the most likely to favor his resignation at 89 percent, followed by Eastern Germans (68 percent) and The Left’s supporters (65 percent). Among SPD supporters, 43 percent advocate for his resignation, while 51 percent want him to stay. The support is lowest among CDU and CSU supporters, where only 21 percent call for his resignation, compared to 78 percent who oppose it.
Currently, 11 percent of the public are satisfied with Merz’s work, an increase of one percentage point from the previous week, though 87 percent remain dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction is most pronounced among the AfD’s base (99 percent), followed by The Left (97 percent), the Greens (91 percent), and the SPD (86 percent). Even within the CDU and CSU base, dissatisfaction holds the edge, with 56 percent unhappy with the Chancellor compared to 44 percent who are satisfied.
