Key facts
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's popularity rating is at 13%, the lowest for any German chancellor since polling began.
- The AfD has become the largest political faction in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
- The AfD tops national opinion polls.
- Alice Weidel stated the AfD has effectively replaced the CDU as Germany's true Volkspartei.
- Merz's CDU party has suffered three poor regional election showings in recent weeks.
- Germany is the world's largest single donor to Ukraine and the biggest net payer into the EU budget.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing a significant political crisis following a series of poor election results for his conservative Christian Democratic Unionist (CDU) party. His popularity rating has fallen to a record low of 13%, with many voters perceiving him as arrogant and out of touch. This decline has coincided with a surge in support for the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has become the largest political faction in two recent regional elections and leads national opinion polls. The AfD accuses Merz of failing to address economic concerns and fears about immigration and security. Rumors of a potential leadership challenge within the CDU are circulating, though no individual has publicly challenged Merz yet. This political instability in Germany, a country known for its focus on stability, has broader implications for the European Union and the wider continent. Germany's economic performance is crucial for the eurozone, and its role as a major donor to Ukraine and contributor to the EU budget means its internal political turmoil can have considerable knock-on effects. The EU is watching these developments with concern, especially as they occur at the start of a busy election season across the bloc, where nationalist and Eurosceptic parties are predicted to gain ground.