It was an opinion poll that went down like a bomb in Berlin’s government quarters.
The three governing parties continue to lose support. In addition, the right-wing nationalist Alternative for Germany, AfD, reaches a new record level.
– AfD is a party for people who are angry, was Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s reaction.
It was the opinion poll “Deutschlandtrend” that was released this weekend that led to dark headlines for the government. Only 20 percent think that the governing parties – the Social Democrats, the Liberals FDP and the Greens – are doing a good job.
Perhaps it is not so strange. After managing to steer Germany through a winter with a deep energy crisis, the government now seems most interested in arguing internally. For several months, the energy minister from the Green Party has tried to push through new rules that would stop oil boilers or fossil gas heating systems being installed in newly built houses. It has led to an outcry in Germany, and culture war-like arguments against heat pumps.
If the government had had a common line, they could probably have won that debate. But the liberal party sided with the opposition and the big fight within the government was a fact.
AFD reaches record level
The largest party is still the Christian Democrats at 29 percent in the survey, but the AfD is at a record high 18 percent, the same level as the Social Democrats and better than the Greens and the Liberals.
There are several reasons why some voters go to the AfD instead of the other opposition parties. Among other things, the number of asylum seekers coming to Germany is at the highest level since 2015, which helps the rather openly xenophobic AfD. In the former East Germany, there is also strong criticism of the military and financial support that the government gives to Ukraine, and those voters now gravitate to the AfD, which is the most pro-Russian party in Germany. Then, of course, inflation and an economy that is in recession are added, factors that also help the pronounced discontent party AfD.
No cooperation
This autumn, the states of Bavaria and Hesse go to elections. If things go really badly for the governing parties, the political crisis will deepen. But when it comes to the German parties’ refusal to cooperate, or even hold discussions, with the AfD, there probably won’t be any changes, no matter how big the party becomes.
– This party is xenophobic. This party is anti-Semitic. We have nothing to do with these people, said Christian Democrat leader Friedrich Merz this weekend.
But calling AfD voters sour or anti-Semitic is not a strategy to win back voters either. In order to succeed in this, none of the parties in Germany currently seem to have a real plan.