A recent poll in Germany indicated AfD, now the largest opposition party in the Bundestag, would be likely to take 23 percent of the vote in eastern Germany, followed by Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) with 22 percent. In another blow for centrist parties, the far-left party Die Linke gained 14 percent of support in the poll, while the Social Democrats (SPD) came in fifth place with 11 percent.
The poll questioned 1,419 respondents from 25 July to 31 July, asking them “Which party would you vote for if general elections were next Sunday?”
It concluded: “The AfD has good chances in the upcoming elections to not only hold on to their successes of the last elections but to increase them.”
The results by pollsters Emnid for German newspaper Bild am Sonntag are further signs Mrs Merkel is losing grip on power as the far-right AfD gain support in the east of the country ahead of the regional elections on September 1.
It comes after the AfD made huge gains in the recent EU elections in May.
Angela Merkel is under pressure after the far-right AfD surges in shock poll (Image: GETTY )
Angela Merkel has recently sparked concerns for her health (Image: GETTY )
In Saxony, the AfD was the biggest party with 25.3 percent of the vote, followed by the CDU (23 percent) and Die Linke, with 11.7 percent.
And in Brandenburg, the AfD also topped support with 19.9 percent of the vote, followed by the CDU (18 percent).
The party also gained growing amounts of support in Mecklenburg Western-Pomerani, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, despite the CDU gaining the most support in these regions.
Timo Reinfrank, managing director of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, previously warned growing support for AfD was putting politicians and members of the establishment in danger.
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Angela Merkel is under pressure to step down (Image: GETTY )
He told the Financial Times: “Initially this was directed against refugees and asylum seekers, then increasingly against journalists and members of the legal profession.
“Now we see that they are increasingly targeting members of the system, the establishment.”
The news comes after a recent poll revealed Mrs Merkel’s approval rating has dropped by less than a third with many Germans admitting to their regret for having elected her in the first place.
Berlin pollster ARD-Tagesthemen asked Germans whether they were satisfied with the work of the Chancellor and EU figurehead, with the response being that 32 percent of participants were.
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Angela Merkel could be replaced by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (Image: GETTY )
Angela Merkel faces a crisis as support for the AfD grows (Image: REUTERS )
This meant a shocking 68 percent of Germans were not.
The poll comes amid troubled times for Mrs Merkel, who has suffered visible health issues when she was caught on video shaking three times in the past six weeks.
Concerns about the 64-year-old’s health were raised again when she began trembling as she stood for national anthems with Finland’s prime minister in Berlin.
She was forced to break with protocol and sit during yesterday’s welcoming ceremony for the Danish prime minister.
Angela Merkel has seen Germany’s economy suffer a downwards turn (Image: EXPRESS)
Mrs Merkel insists she is fine but her office has given no explanation for the repeated shaking and some within her party are asking if it is time for her to leave office.
She may have to hand power to her successor earlier than planned.
Sources within the CDU said officials are re-considering the timeline which sees Ms Merkel stand down at the 2021 election to make way for party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
One insider said: “The tremors are fuelling the CDU internal debate about whether the schedule agreed between Merkel and Kramp-Karrenbauer on not changing the guard until 2021 can hold.”
Angela Merkel’s party was beaten by AfD in a recent poll (Image: GETTY )
Meanwhile, Germany has seen a rise in right-wing violence – including six racially-motivated murder attempts over the last year.
There were 48 extreme acts of violence registered in 2018, according to figures released in a report by the intelligence services to monitor anti-constitutional activities on the protection of Germany’s democratic constitution. There were also 24,100 right-wing activities
during the same year. This is an increase from 2017 when there 24,000 attacks.
It comes at the same time Germany sees a rise in support for the AfD, now the largest opposition party in the Bundestag.
Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg