Far-Right AfD Extends Lead to Record 28 Percent as CDU/CSU Support Plummets

Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to a record high in national polling, widening its lead over the main opposition CDU/CSU conservative bloc to an unprecedented margin as conservative support hits a multi-year low.

According to the latest Infratest dimap Deutschlandtrend survey conducted for broadcaster ARD, the party led by Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla gained one percentage point to reach 28 percent.

The result marks the highest polling figure ever recorded for the group by the Berlin-based research institute.

Conservative Support Slumps

Concurrently, voter backing for the CDU/CSU alliance slipped by one point to 21 percent, creating an unprecedented seven-point deficit behind the AfD in this survey series.

The drop leaves conservative support at its lowest level since November 2021, a period immediately following former candidate Armin Laschet’s election defeat and the subsequent transition of power to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition. CDU leadership was subsequently taken over by Friedrich Merz.

Stagnation Across Mainstream Parties

Other major political forces registered no change compared to the previous month. The Greens held at 15 percent, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) remained at 12 percent and Die Linke stood at 11 percent.

The Free Democratic Party (FDP) recorded 4 percent, remaining below the electoral threshold, while unaligned smaller parties collectively accounted for 7 percent.

Electorate Divided on Cooperation

Voter attitudes regarding potential parliamentary or governing alignment with the AfD highlight a divided electorate.

Roughly 37 percent of respondents favor fundamentally excluding any future cooperation with the party.

Conversely, 32 percent advocate deciding on potential collaboration on a flexible, case-by-case basis.

A further 27 percent support actively seeking cooperation, a stance primarily driven by existing AfD voters.

Broad Polling Alignment

The expanding margin between the two parties is consistently reflected across competing research institutes.

Parallel surveys by Forsa and Insa similarly measured the AfD at 28 percent against 21 percent for the CDU/CSU coalition.

YouGov reported a matching seven-point margin with the AfD at 27 percent and the Union at 20 percent.

Meanwhile, Allensbach recorded a narrower gap, placing the AfD at 26.5 percent and the conservatives at 24 percent.