The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is leading Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives by a record nine percentage points in a new YouGov poll released on Tuesday, further expanding its lead in nationwide polling ahead of a key state vote later this year.
The AfD, which became Germany's largest opposition party after making unprecedented gains in last year's general election, tops the survey at 29%, up by one point compared to the last YouGov poll published last month.
Merz's conservative alliance, which comprises the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union (CSU), came second at 20% - posting its lowest approval rating since September 2021, as they continue to squabble with their junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), over a range of issues.
Only 12% of respondents who were asked who they would vote for if Germany were to held elections on Sunday picked the SPD, down one point from last month and the party's worst ever result.
The Left party also polled at 12%, but gained one percentage point, while the Greens came in third place with 14%, also up by one point.
The rise of the AfD, which has been classified as a confirmed far-right extremist group by domestic intelligence for its anti-migrant views, a label the party is challenging in court, continues unabated some three months before it could win an unprecedented absolute majority in a state government in September.
The AfD has consistently topped the polls in Saxony-Anhalt, a state that was part of the former communist East Germany, where the party has seen particularly strong support.
With voters set to elect a new regional parliament on September 6, recent surveys put the AfD at around 40%, well ahead of the CDU at around 25%.
The AfD chapter in Saxony-Anhalt has been classified as a confirmed extremist organization.
A total of 1,793 responded to the YouGov survey conducted online between June 12 and 15.
According to the pollster, the results are representative of the voting population in Germany. Polls by other major institutes have also put the AfD consistently ahead of the conservatives in recent months, with the margin between them varying.
