German July 2026 polls: ruling coalition retreats while AfD and Die Linke advance

Herz — World Desk · 20 July 2026 at 17:15 · 30s summary · 2 min read

What we know

In July 2026, polls aggregated by Süddeutsche Zeitung show that the Union (CDU/CSU) and the SPD — the two parties forming the German governing coalition — are retreating in voting intentions. The AfD and Die Linke are advancing over the same period.

To produce these estimates, Süddeutsche Zeitung uses the fifteen most recent polls, each surveying approximately 1,000 people, and calculates a 'poll corridor' — an interval estimating the realistic range for each party.

Results of the February 23, 2025 federal elections

In the snap federal legislative elections on February 23, 2025, the Union (CDU/CSU), led by Friedrich Merz, won the vote with 28.5 per cent. The AfD finished second with 20.8 per cent.

Olaf Scholz's SPD, which held the chancellorship at the time, fell to 16.4 per cent. The Greens won 11.6 per cent and Die Linke 8.8 per cent.

The BSW — the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - For Reason and Justice, a populist political party founded on January 8, 2024 — received 4.9 per cent. The FDP won 4.3 per cent. These two parties did not clear the 5 per cent eligibility threshold and therefore have no seats in the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament.