AfD Leads German Polls at 27%-29% as Reform Failures Fuel Far-Right Surge
Updated
Updated · EUobserver · Aug 7
AfD Leads German Polls at 27%-29% as Reform Failures Fuel Far-Right Surge
3 articles · Updated · EUobserver · Aug 7
Summary
AfD is now polling 27% to 29%, putting the far-right party on course to top Germany’s next election and widening its lead over Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU.
Damian Boeselager, a German MEP and Volt founder, said the rise reflects three pressures: stagnant real incomes, mainstream parties’ failure to deliver decisive reforms, and social media incentives that reward more radical politics.
Germany’s ageing population, weak wealth creation and reliance on legacy industries have deepened frustration, he argued, while coalition politics has blunted the kind of structural changes voters feel are needed.
Boeselager said AfD exploits that anger by pairing promises of a “Germany first” economic reset with anti-immigrant blame, while warning Merz’s tougher migration rhetoric is a strategic mistake that offers no real solutions.
The debate comes as MEPs have asked an EU authority to review whether AfD’s European group, ESN, still meets democratic and human-rights standards, underscoring broader concern over the far right’s advance in Germany and Europe.