A leading opinion pollster, Michael Güllner, believes the new German government can halt the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Güllner, the head of the Forsa Institute, told the latest edition of Zeit magazine that the government can refocus the AfD on its radical core by prioritizing the concerns of the people, just as it did during the COVID-19 crisis. Securing Germany’s economic standing has the highest priority, he emphasized.
The AfD achieved its best election result in the Bundestag election, with 20.8% of the vote and has continued to gain support in opinion polls. Güllner believes the black-red coalition has a high level of acceptance among voters, which could benefit the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). However, he stressed that a clear distinction from the AfD is essential. Güllner criticized Jens Spahn, saying that his suggestion to treat the AfD like a normal party would only benefit the far-right party.
A majority of citizens do not believe it would be good for the country if the AfD were to join the government, Güllner noted. In regular surveys, the AfD is consistently shown to be the least capable of addressing the country’s problems, with only around 10 or 11% of respondents choosing the party in response to the question.