Latest polls show 69% of Germans worried about political instability after Feb. 23 vote as major parties clash over migration policy
German voters are increasingly worried about political instability as the country heads to national elections later this month, according to a new poll released late Thursday.
The latest poll by public broadcaster ARD revealed that 69% of voters had “great” or “very great” concerns about forming a stable government after the Feb. 23 parliamentary elections, a significant 10-point increase since Dec. 2024.
The growing anxiety came amid escalating tensions between major political parties, particularly over migration policy. The opposition Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) recently proposed controversial legislation to curb migration, which gained support from the far-right AfD party, a move that drew sharp criticism from the co-ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens.
CDU/CSU leader and chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz leads in the polls but needs a coalition partner to form a government, since his conservative bloc would not likely secure an absolute majority.
Amid growing public criticism last week, he reaffirmed that the conservatives will not enter coalition talks with the AfD after the elections. This leaves two viable coalition options: either with the center-left SPD or the environmentalist Greens.
According to the latest opinion poll, the center-right CDU/CSU leads with 31% of eligible voters' support, while the far-right AfD remains the second-strongest party at 21%. Both parties have gained one percentage point.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD holds steady at 15%, while the Greens have dropped one point to 14%. The socialist Die Linke party maintains 5% support – just enough to clear the threshold for parliamentary representation.
Two other parties fall short of the parliamentary threshold: the left-wing populist BSW and the liberal FDP, each at 4%.
Germany is heading to early elections on Feb. 23, a critical vote that could reshape the political landscape of Europe's economic powerhouse.
The snap election followed the collapse of Scholz's coalition government, driven by mounting disagreements between his Social Democrats, the Greens, and their coalition partner, the liberal FDP, over economic and fiscal policies.
