German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has fallen to last place in the popularity ratings of German politicians for the first time. This is according to the results of a survey conducted by the INSA sociological institute on behalf of the newspaper Bild, APA reports.
According to his data, Merz fell from 18th to 20th place, becoming the most unpopular politician in the INSA poll for Bild. He scored only 28.9 points. What's particularly critical for the German Chancellor is that his decline in popularity is observed not only nationwide but also within his own electorate. Even among supporters of the CDU/CSU bloc, he ranks only near the bottom.
Among CDU/CSU voters, Merz scored only 55.1 points, ranking fifth. Only 10% of respondents have a positive opinion of Merz (8-10 points), while 58% have a negative opinion (0-4 points). He is outperformed by other prominent conservative figures, such as CSU leader Markus Söder, North Rhine-Westphalia State Premier Hendrik Wüst, and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. Dobrindt, for example, rose from 8th to 6th place.
CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann also joined the "rising stars," moving up from 12th place to 9th place in the top ten. This paints a mixed picture for the CDU/CSU bloc: while the conservatives are gaining influence, the party leader himself continues to lose support, Bild emphasizes. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) tops the list.
Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-chair Alice Weidel also saw her rankings decline: she dropped two spots, moving from 6th to 8th. Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) also saw a significant decline: he dropped from 9th to 11th.
The survey was conducted from April 24 to 27. 2,010 people participated.
