Merz Faces Record Low Ratings as AfD Gains Parliamentary Power

Chancellor Friedrich Merz entered October with satisfaction ratings lower than those of any previous chancellor since the ARD Deutschlandtrend survey began. Only one in ten Germans was satisfied with him, DIE ZEIT reported on October 1.

His party bloc was also losing support. The Union fell to 20 percent, seven percentage points behind the AfD, according to DIE WELT. Al Jazeera placed Merz's record low rating in the aftermath of defeats for his party in three state elections.

Those results opened separate battles over who would govern and how other parties would treat the AfD. In Berlin, the Left, Greens and SPD explored a possible government. In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD sought to turn its election victory into parliamentary office and, eventually, control of the state government.

On October 3, the Left, Greens and SPD said preliminary talks in Berlin had brought them closer to a common path. They expected an initial result the following week, with exploratory coalition talks to follow, ARD Tagesschau reported.

The same day, Hesse's Minister-President Boris Rhein argued that the CDU should not prevent AfD lawmakers from chairing Bundestag committees. His position was that the party should distinguish itself from the AfD without excluding it, according to DIE ZEIT. The AfD welcomed the proposal, while coalition representatives criticised it, Deutschlandfunk reported on October 4.

Also on October 4, CDU parliamentary group leader Schulze insisted that the AfD could not count on CDU votes in the election of Saxony-Anhalt's minister-president. The AfD wanted to govern but still lacked a majority, according to ARD Tagesschau.

On October 5, a separate Insa poll put the AfD at a record 30.5 percent, extending its lead over the Union, DIE WELT reported. That was a different survey from the Deutschlandtrend figures published earlier in the month.

On October 6, Tobias Rausch was elected speaker of Saxony-Anhalt's parliament, becoming the first AfD politician to hold such an office. The BBC described the role as largely symbolic but reported that opponents considered the result a watershed. Le Monde reported that he received four more votes than expected, raising suspicions of defections among conservatives, without establishing who cast those votes.

Berlin's coalition discussions also faced opposition on October 6. Joschka Fischer, Wolfgang Thierse and Peter Altmaier were among prominent figures backing an appeal against a Left, Greens and SPD government, while preliminary talks continued, according to DER SPIEGEL. The appeal questioned whether shared commitments to democracy and the rule of law were secure, DIE WELT reported.

By October 7, Merz was trying to close ranks within the CDU over Rausch's election. He said support for the AfD speaker was incompatible with CDU values, while suggesting that the additional votes might have come from another party, ARD Tagesschau reported. Whether CDU lawmakers supplied those votes remains unresolved in the coverage.

The dispute now extends beyond the speakership. DER SPIEGEL reported that the AfD was seeking to exploit CDU divisions to help secure Ulrich Siegmund's election as minister-president. Meanwhile, the SPD abandoned plans for a cross-party government, according to DIE WELT.

Rausch's election does not itself give the AfD control of the state government. It does show that the party can assemble support for a parliamentary candidate beyond its own ranks, an outcome highlighted by ARD Tagesschau.

The next major test is the election of Saxony-Anhalt's regional executive chief, expected in December, according to Le Monde. The central question is whether the AfD can secure the votes needed to govern despite Schulze's earlier rejection of CDU support.

In Berlin, the pending issue is whether the Left, Greens and SPD move from preliminary discussions into formal exploratory talks. Their negotiations were still continuing despite the public appeal against the proposed coalition, DER SPIEGEL reported.