The anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is spectacularly widening its lead against its main political opponent, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister faction Christian Social Union (CSU), according to a new poll by YouGov that records historic highs for the party. The AfD now gathers 29% in voting intention, marking a new record, while the traditional parties of power record historically low performances. The result is expected to further increase pressure on the government coalition, which appears to be increasingly losing the confidence of public opinion.
According to the poll:
1) AfD: 29% (+1)
2) CDU/CSU: 20% (-2)
3) Greens: 14% (+1)
4) SPD: 12% (-1)
5) Left (Die Linke): 12% (+1)
6) FDP: 5% (+1)
7) BSW: 4%
8) Other parties: 5%
The difference of nine percentage points between AfD and CDU/CSU constitutes one of the largest that have been recorded in favor of the right-wing opposition party.
Historic low for CDU and SPD
Particularly worrying are considered the findings for the CDU/CSU and the SPD. The CDU/CSU is limited to 20%, recording its worst performance in a poll by YouGov, while the SPD retreats to 12%, continuing its downward trend. On the contrary, the Greens show a small rise to 14%, while the Left party also reaches 12%. Gains are also recorded by the FDP, which returns to the 5% threshold for the first time after a year and a half, following the election of Wolfgang Kubicki to the leadership of the party.
The dilemma of Friedrich Merz
The results are expected to intensify the internal party discussions in the CDU regarding the strategy that the party follows against the AfD. Despite the fact that the leadership of the CDU categorically rejects any possibility of cooperation with the AfD, certain officials estimate that the issue will return as long as the polling gap widens. The German chancellor Friedrich Merz has repeatedly pledged that he is not going to cooperate with the AfD under any circumstances. However, the so-called anti-AfD zone of exclusion, firewall, forces the CDU to seek government cooperations with parties that are closer to the center-left or the left, such as the SPD, the Greens, or even Die Linke. This strategy seems to cause dissatisfaction in a large part of its electoral base. Nevertheless, about half of the voters of the CDU still reject the idea of co-governing with the AfD.
Germans do not want politics in the World Cup
The same poll also recorded the views of the Germans on the relationship between politics and football, with the results showing a clear opposition to the politicization of the World Cup. The national team of Germany had adopted strong political and social messages in the two previous World Cups. However, its competitive course was disappointing, as it was eliminated in both tournaments from the group stage. According to YouGov, 65% of Germans consider that football and politics must remain strictly separated. This view is particularly strong among the voters of the AfD, where the percentage reaches 82%, as well as among the voters of the CDU/CSU with 74%. Even among the voters of the SPD, 55% is in favor of the separation of politics and sports. On the contrary, the voters of parties that are positioned further left on the political spectrum appear more positive towards the presence of political messages in football. 41% of the voters of Die Linke and 34% of the Greens state that they support such interventions.
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