BERLIN
Confidence in all major political figures of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government has declined this month, a new poll revealed Wednesday, marking a significant erosion of support after seven months in office.
Trust in conservative leader Merz fell to 32% in December—down six percentage points from 38% when his conservative-left coalition government took office in May 2025—according to the representative poll conducted by the Forsa research institute.
Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil of the Social Democrats (SPD) also saw his confidence rating drop from 41% in May to a 36% in the December poll. Even Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, long regarded as Germany’s most popular politician, experienced a decline. His trust rating fell by five percentage points to 57% compared to May 2025.
The coalition government has faced mounting internal tensions in recent months. Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance and coalition partner SPD have clashed over migration policy, military service reform, pension reforms, and budget priorities—disputes that have raised questions among voters about the government’s ability to govern effectively.
The coalition’s declining approval was also reflected in party support polling. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to 26% in the latest Forsa poll—overtaking all other parties to become Germany’s strongest political force.
Merz’s conservatives (CDU/CSU), who won February’s snap election with 28.5%, have fallen to 24%—down one percentage point from the previous week. The Social Democrats dropped to 14%, well below their 16.4% election performance. The Greens registered 12% support, while the socialist Left Party stood at 11%.
Chancellor Merz’s coalition faces a critical political test in 2026 with state parliamentary elections scheduled in five federal states. Baden-Wurttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate vote in March, followed by Saxony-Anhalt in June, and Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in September.