AfD Hits Record 28% in Forsa Poll — Six-Point Lead Over CDU/CSU Is Widest Gap on Record

A Forsa poll released May 19 showed the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) at a record 28% national support, six points ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU at 22% — the widest polling gap ever recorded between the two parties. The result represented a dramatic reversal: just one year earlier CDU/CSU led at 33% against AfD at 18%. SPD stood at 12%, Greens at 15%, Die Linke at 11%, and FDP at 4% — below the 5% Bundestag threshold. Despite the historic polling surge, the Brandmauer (firewall) against any coalition with AfD remains intact across CDU/CSU, SPD, Greens, FDP, and Die Linke. AfD's rise is driven by voter dissatisfaction with the governing CDU-SPD coalition's handling of migration, energy costs, economic stagnation, and the perceived contradiction of Merz pledging fiscal discipline while approving record defense spending. The poll projects AfD as the largest party if an election were held today.