Around 85 percent of Germans are dissatisfied with the performance of Chancellor Friedrich Merz one year after the formation of the government by the conservative CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), according to a survey conducted by the Infratest dimap research institute for the ARD television station.

According to the results, only 16 % of respondents are satisfied with Merz's performance, which is five percentage points lower than in April. On the other hand, 83 percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction, seven percentage points more than a month earlier. The authors of the survey said this was the worst result ever recorded for a sitting German chancellor.

By comparison, in June 2025, a month after taking office, Merz's support stood at 39 percent. The lowest figure for his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, was 18 percent in September 2024.

Another 69 percent of respondents said Merz is not up to the job, while only 25 percent of respondents held the opposite opinion. As recently as last August, 42 percent of Germans considered Merz a suitable candidate for chancellor.

The survey also showed strong criticism of the Chancellor's communication style. Only 14 percent of respondents described his presentation as convincing, a drop of 20 percentage points compared to August 2025. In contrast, 82 percent of respondents disagreed with this assessment.

On 6 May, exactly one year passed since the German government led by Friedrich Merz took office. According to other recent polls, support for the CDU/CSU and the SPD has weakened significantly, while the Alternative for Germany party has become the strongest political force in the country in some surveys.

gnews.cz - GH