For the time being, there is still widespread agreement among all democratic parties in Germany: Cooperating with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) remains out of the question. However, whether this will remain the case is becoming increasingly uncertain. The established parties have so far been unable to halt the AfD's surge in the polls over recent months.
This has also been confirmed by the latest ARD-Deutschlandtrend survey conducted by the polling firm infratest-dimap. One thousand three hundred eligible voters were asked what party they would vote for if a federal election were held next Sunday, and 28% said they would vote for the AfD. This represents a one-percentage-point increase and a new record high for the AfD in the monthly polly.
In contrast, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party, the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and its sister party, Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), have seen a slight decline compared to the last poll in early July while all other parties have maintained their previous levels.
A clear majority supports reaching out to the AfD
In September, state elections will take place in two important eastern German states: Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In both states, the AfD leads in the polls. In Saxony-Anhalt, they are polling at 41% and might be able to govern alone, if the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) fails to cross the 5% threshhold for representation in parliament.However, only 37% of voters across Germany are opposed to any form of cooperation with the right-wing populists while 32% believe such decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis.
