Germany's Political Shifts: A Conservative in Trouble

In Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing a tough time. A recent poll shows that his conservative party is now in second place, behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). This poll comes after a challenging summer for Merz, filled with controversial decisions that upset both his supporters and opponents. One of Merz's recent moves was to stop sending arms to Israel. This decision was popular with voters but angered his conservative allies. They saw it as a betrayal of Germany's historical responsibilities. This isn't the first time the AfD has been ahead in the polls. They also led in a poll back in April. Merz's government has made some significant changes. They broke with tradition by passing a huge debt package to boost the economy and support Ukraine. On the international stage, Merz has been more assertive than his predecessor, Olaf Scholz. He has played a key role in uniting European countries in support of Ukraine.However, domestically, Merz's government has been vocal about reducing immigration. They plan to cut benefits for Ukrainian war refugees, which has sparked criticism. Left-wing activist Christoph Bautz commented on social media, suggesting that the government should reconsider its policies to avoid conceding ground to the far right. Merz's approval ratings are not looking good. Only 29% of respondents in a recent poll thought he was a good crisis manager. His personal popularity stands at 32%, which is much lower than Scholz or Merkel's ratings when they were 100 days into their terms. Another controversial moment for Merz was the failed appointment of a constitutional court judge. Law professor Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf withdrew her candidacy after a campaign in right-wing media portrayed her as radical. Merz faced criticism for initially supporting her and then changing his mind due to lack of support within his own party. The Social Democrats are also struggling, with their support dropping to 13% in the latest poll. The number of undecided voters is at a seven-month high, indicating a lot of uncertainty among the electorate.