Why Germany’s far right is rising to the top and whether it can be stopped
Recent polling data suggests that Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is facing political failure even before officially taking office.
The far-right and pro-Russian party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has come dangerously close to becoming the highest-polling political force in the country.
Read more about what caused the sharp decline in support for Merz’s party, and is there a way to halt the alarming rise of the far right in the article by Khrystyna Bondarieva, a European Pravda journalist – A yellow card for the Chancellor: why Merz’s party is losing support even before the government begins.
Let’s briefly recall the political backdrop against which the alarm bell rang.
On 23 February, Germany held parliamentary elections. Since then, the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, which won the most votes, has been negotiating a coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Meanwhile, the outgoing parliament passed a significant easing of the country's debt brake, enabling a substantial increase in defence spending. This revolutionary move was supported by votes from CDU/CSU, SPD and the Greens.
They also approved the creation of a €500 billion special fund for renewing Germany’s outdated infrastructure financed through borrowing.
Though welcomed by Germany’s European allies, the decision sparked discontent within Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc and among its voters. The future chancellor had backed away from one of his key campaign promises: not to burden Germany with new large debts.
This is the main, though not the only, reason why recent polls show a consistent picture: the CDU/CSU, which won 28.5% of the vote on 23 February, is gradually losing ground.
Merz justified the policy shift from austerity to borrowing by citing the global political situation and threats from Russia. But 68% of voters, according to surveys, say they don’t trust the CDU leader’s explanation.
Another reason for the conservatives’ decline is their weak bargaining position in coalition talks. The SPD, as the junior partner, keeps pushing its own demands, particularly in migration, economic and social policies.
Some CDU/CSU members are now calling for a tougher stance in negotiations with the Social Democrats.
Still, party leaders believe they’ll have a chance to recover support once the new government starts working.
In contrast, the AfD, which placed second with a record 20.8%, is on the rise. This weekend, the two parties "met" at 24% in polling.
Buoyed by this momentum, AfD leaders are laying plans to win power by 2029. Their strategy? Avoid scaring off moderate voters with overly radical rhetoric and simply wait for the governing parties to make mistakes.
And if, or more accurately, when AfD becomes the leading force in national polls, they plan to demand the dismantling of the "firewall", the refusal of all other parties to cooperate with the far right.
They also hope for a future split within the CDU, which could further clear their path to power.
However, AfD’s road is not without challenges, and the future, especially something as distant as the 2029 elections, remains uncertain.