Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces unprecedented dissatisfaction as the AfD overtakes his party in polls, intensifying political pressure.

The latest ARD-DeutschlandTrend survey reveals Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s approval ratings have plummeted to historic lows, with only 13% of Germans expressing satisfaction with his leadership—a drop of three percentage points from the previous month. This marks the weakest performance by a sitting chancellor in nearly 30 years of the poll’s history. Meanwhile, the far-right AfD has surged ahead, polling at 27%, five points above Merz’s CDU/CSU-led Union bloc.

The government’s proposed pension reforms, aimed at ensuring fairness across generations and stabilizing future retirement security, have received mixed reactions. While measures like including self-employed individuals and corporate executives in the public pension system enjoy broad support (84%), plans to tie retirement age to life expectancy face widespread opposition (63%). The reforms have sparked debate, with skepticism prevailing among younger and working-age citizens compared to retirees.