Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany now leads Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU bloc by 12 percentage points in polling, with support at 30% against 18% for his conservatives. It is the first time the AfD has reached 30%.

An earlier Insa poll reported Sept. 30 put combined support for the governing CDU/CSU and Social Democrats at 33.5%, below the total for a potential alliance of the Social Democrats, Greens and Left party.

The polling follows three state election defeats for Merz's CDU. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the party won 4.9%, missing the 5% threshold and losing all its seats in the state parliament for the first time in postwar Germany. Merz has refused to resign, secured CDU leaders' backing to remain chancellor and pledged to continue economic reforms.