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AfD tops German poll at 28% as CDU/CSU trails in latest poll

RT News · · 286 words · By Russia Today
Government Performance Criticism Political Polling/Election Data
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.rt.com/news/639129-germany-afd-new-popularity-record/

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 60% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
report Misleading 1
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“The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has hit a new popularity record and would win a hypothetical election with 28% of the vote, according to a Bild/INSA poll published on Saturday.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that the AfD rose to a record 28% in an INSA poll published on a Saturday, confirming the core elements of the claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) rose to a record 28% in the latest weekly INSA voting intention poll published on Saturday, widening its lead over the conservative bloc to ...
https://www.reuters.com/world/germanys-far-right-afd-rises-r…
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web search NEUTRAL — A detailed look at the latest German election poll by INSA. Analyzing potential coalition options, majority scenarios, and the survey's methodological context.
https://politpro.eu/en/germany/opinion-polls/insa-2026-04-20…
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web search NEUTRAL — The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has widened its lead over the conservative bloc of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to a new poll released on Saturday. In the latest Sunday ...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/poll-shows-germanys-afd-…
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“Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic bloc (CDU/CSU) would receive 24%, falling behind the right-wing party by one percentage point compared with earlier polls, according to the survey.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results cite the Bild/INSA poll stating that the CDU/CSU dropped to 24%, and one source notes this was a decline from previous figures, supporting the claim that it trailed the AfD by one percentage point (28% vs 24%).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alternative for Germany (German: Alternative für Deutschland, AfD [aːʔɛfˈdeː] ) is a far-right, right-wing populist, national conservative, and völkisch nationalist political party in Germany. It has …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_for_Germany
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web search NEUTRAL — Germany’s AfD has hit a record 28% in a new INSA poll, overtaking Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc as the coalition struggles to secure majority support.
https://www.rt.com/news/639129-germany-afd-new-popularity-re…
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web search NEUTRAL — According to the latest Sunday Insa poll from Bild, the CDU/CSU has dropped to 24%, now tying with the AfD. This marks an all-time low for the Conservatives. In the midst of its coalition negotiations…
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/04/05/setback-for-me…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
“The ruling coalition partner Social Democrats (SPD) maintained a 14% approval rating.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim states the SPD maintained a 14% approval rating. While Wikipedia confirms the SPD is a major German party, the specific figure of '14% approval rating' is not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the search results. The evidence provided is insufficient to confirm this specific figure from multiple sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — SPD is the Social Democratic Party of Germany, a political party. SPD may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPD_(disambiguation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Social Democratic Party of Germany (German: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands [zoˈtsi̯aːldemoˌkʁaːtɪʃə paʁˌtaɪ ˈdɔʏtʃlants], SPD [ɛspeːˈdeː] ) is a social democratic political party in Germa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Ger…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Power Rangers S.P.D. is a television series and the twelfth entry of the Power Rangers franchise, and is based on the 28th Super Sentai series Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger. The initials in the title stan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Rangers_S.P.D.
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“About 11% of the vote would go to parties that would fail to reach the threshold to enter parliament, Bild wrote, adding that this means a governing majority would require at least a 45% share of the remaining vote.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific details regarding 11% of the vote going to parties failing the threshold and the requirement for a governing majority to secure at least 45% of the remaining vote are not corroborated by multiple independent sources. The web search results reference Bild and election polls but do not repeat this specific calculation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bild (German: [bɪlt] , lit. 'Picture') or Bild-Zeitung (German: [ˈbɪltˌtsaɪtʊŋ] , lit. 'Picture Newspaper') is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Mon…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bild may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild_(disambiguation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bild Lilli doll was a West German line of fashion doll launched by Greiner & Hausser GmbH on August 12, 1955 and produced until 1964. Its design was based on the comic-strip character Lilli, creat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild_Lilli_doll
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The survey, which was conducted over April 20-24, involved 1,203 respondents who were asked how they would vote if a federal election were held on Sunday.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results confirm that polls regarding German elections were conducted around the specified timeframe (e.g., 'INSA poll published on Saturday' and general election poll context). However, the precise details—'conducted between April 20-24' and 'polled 1,203 respondents'—are only present in the context of the evidence provided for the claim itself, and are not independently corroborated by multiple sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom in many Western countries on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools'_Day
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Its length is 30 days. April is commonly associated with the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — April 17 is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 258 days remain until the end of the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_17
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Approval ratings for Merz’s coalition have steadily declined since it came to power last May.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results confirm that Merz's approval ratings have declined. One notes his personal ratings declined, and another states his ratings 'have plummeted since his conservatives’ election victory,' supporting the general trend of decline since assuming power.
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web search NEUTRAL — The 2025 election took place seven months ahead of schedule due to the 2024 collapse of the Scholz governing coalition. Following the loss of his majority, the chancellor called and intentionally lost…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_German_federal_election
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web search NEUTRAL — Merz's personal approval ratings have also declined, beyond party standings. Only 26% of respondents expressed satisfaction with his performance, a two-point drop from previous measurements.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/german-far-right-afd-leads-p…
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web search NEUTRAL — Merz’s approval ratings have plummeted since his conservatives’ election victory.Merz lifts range limits on Ukraine weapons to hit targets inside Russia. Germany is under pressure to supply Ukraine wi…
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-friedrich-merz-coali…
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“Critics have accused the chancellor of failing to reverse the decline of the German economy, which saw only 0.3% growth in 2025 and endured a recession in 2023 and 2024.”
MISLEADING
The claim mixes specific, potentially future/hypothetical data (0.3% growth in 2025) with historical data (recessions in 2023 and 2024). While evidence confirms the German economy shrank marginally in 2023 and contracted in Q4 2023, the specific forecast of '0.3% growth in 2025' is not confirmed by multiple sources, and the evidence suggests 2025 is predicted to stagnate, not grow by 0.3%. The claim is technically true regarding past issues but misleading by presenting a specific, unverified future growth rate.
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web search NEUTRAL — As of 2024[update], Germany is the third-largest exporter and third-largest importer in the world, producing the second-largest trade surplus. The German economy practically stagnated in the beginning…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Germany
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web search NEUTRAL — The latest macroeconomic forecast for Germany. 17 November 2025. After two years of contraction, the economy is set to broadly stagnate in 2025 and rebound with 1.2% GDP growth in 2026 and 2027.
https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-surveillance-e…
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web search NEUTRAL — The German economy shrank marginally in 2023 and contracted by 0.3% in the fourth quarter of that year.GDP growth forecast 2024. Given that the German economy is predicted to grow slightly in 2024, ec…
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68361717
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“At least 79% of Germans are dissatisfied with the performance of the ruling government, a YouGov poll published last week indicated.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results cite the YouGov poll indicating that a high percentage (79%) of Germans are dissatisfied with the ruling government's performance, confirming the core statistic.
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web search NEUTRAL — At least 79% of Germans are dissatisfied with the performance of the ruling government, a YouGov poll published last week indicated. Only 34% of CDU/CSU voters were satisfied with their coalition’s pe…
https://www.rt.com/news/639129-germany-afd-new-popularity-re…
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web search NEUTRAL — In contrast, the co-ruling coalition parties have suffered significant losses as the CDU/CSU has dropped by three percentage points to 23% – the lowest figure recorded in the YouGov poll since Decembe…
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/79-of-germans-are-dissatisfi…
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web search NEUTRAL — The rise of the AfD is occurring alongside an unprecedented collapse in public confidence in the federal government led by Friedrich Merz. According to the same YouGov survey, a shocking 79 percent of…
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/afd-tops-polls-27-w…
help
“Only 34% of CDU/CSU voters were satisfied with their coalition’s performance as of mid-April, according to the survey.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the search results did not provide any information regarding the satisfaction levels of CDU/CSU voters as of mid-April.
help
“Last week, Merz was rated Europe’s most unpopular leader, with a 76% disapproval rating, according to the US-based opinion research institute Morning Consult.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the search results did not provide any information regarding Morning Consult ratings for Friedrich Merz as Europe's most unpopular leader.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.