According to the poll made for ZDF television, CDU and the SPD is losing supporters, while AfD is in second place again. If it was not enough a new leftist movement is on the rise says Aufstehen, which could weaken social democrats similarly to AfD. Its leader, Sahra Wagenknecht is notorious for defending Stalin is trying to address voters with leftist populism and xenophobia.
At first sight there is no sense in the political shifts – the German economy is growing, unemployement is at historically low numbers. Why are the extremists gaining supporters? The reason is simple: Merkel shifted the Christian Democrats to the left, which created a political void on the right. Similarly, social democrats under Gerhard Schröder moved to the right.
While in the past big coalitions were rather uncommon, they became a rule. The common coalition of two parties created opportunities for real alternatives and the German party system is changing after decades of stability. The political center is weaking while the extremists are on the rise. The traditional parties would be able to govern due to the rising preferences of the Greens. The issue is, when comes the breaking point? CDU or the SPD could be forced to govern with the right or left populists. The next test will come after the Bavarian elections.
