German socialists hit lowest score ever in national poll
Germany's Social Democratic Party has fallen to a historic low of 11 percent in a new poll, tying with Die Linke while the AfD leads at 27 percent.
According to Brussels Signal, the latest survey from Gesellschaft für Markt- und Sozialforschung (GMS) places the SPD in a humiliating tie with the hard-left Die Linke party, both polling at just 11 per cent support.
The GMS poll, conducted between May 27 and June 1 among 1,023 eligible voters, shows the Social Democrats have shed five percentage points since the previous survey in early March. Once one of Germany’s two dominant political forces, the SPD now finds itself relegated to a shared fourth place nationally.
AfD Surges as Coalition Partners Collapse
The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) has strengthened its position as the country’s leading party, rising three points to 27 per cent nationwide. The CDU/CSU Union fell three points to 23 per cent, while the Greens gained four points to reach 16 per cent.
The Liberal FDP managed to climb back to the five per cent electoral threshold for the first time since 2024, while Die Linke edged up one point to match the SPD’s dismal 11 per cent showing.
Perhaps most striking is the collapse of the governing coalition. The Union and SPD together would muster only 34 per cent if elections were held today—a dramatic fall from their combined performance in the February 2025 federal election.
Historic Decline Continues
The latest numbers underscore the SPD’s prolonged collapse since its poor showing in the 2025 federal election, where it secured just 16.4 per cent—at the time its worst post-war result.
As junior partner in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU-SPD grand coalition, the party continues to hemorrhage support amid economic stagnation, disputes over migration policy, and internal leadership tensions.
The GMS poll is not an outlier. A separate survey by INSA put the CDU at 22 per cent, the SPD at 12 per cent, and the AfD at 29 per cent. All eight of Germany’s leading polling organizations now show the AfD as the country’s number one party.
Socialists Lose Their Base
Political analysts say the SPD is struggling to reconnect with its traditional working-class and left-leaning base, with many former supporters shifting to the AfD, the Greens, or simply abstaining from voting altogether.
The party’s participation in yet another grand coalition—a governing arrangement that has historically drained the SPD of its distinct identity—appears to be accelerating its decline rather than stabilizing its position.
With Germany facing significant economic and political challenges, the Social Democrats’ inability to present a compelling alternative vision has left them adrift in a rapidly changing political landscape.
With information from Brussels Signal
