Near-half of eastern German voters back AfD role in state government, poll shows

Nearly half of voters in eastern Germany believe the Alternative for Germany (AfD) should enter government if the far-right party emerges as the largest force in upcoming state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, according to a survey conducted by opinion research institute YouGov.

In the poll commissioned by the German Press Agency (dpa), 47% of respondents in eastern Germany expressed support for AfD participation in government under those conditions. By comparison, 37% of respondents in western Germany held the same view.

Participants were asked to consider a scenario following the state elections scheduled for September, in which the AfD finishes ahead of all other parties but fails to secure an absolute majority.

Under that scenario, 29% of eastern respondents said all other political parties should unite to form a state government excluding the AfD. In western Germany, 36% supported that approach.

In the same situation, 11% of eastern Germans and 12% of western Germans believed holding new elections would be the correct path. A further 13% in the east and 15% in the west were undecided.

YouGov surveyed 1,573 people in western Germany and 1,570 in eastern Germany. According to the polling firm, the results are representative for both regions.

In eastern Germany, 38% of respondents believed that including the AfD in a governing coalition would strengthen democracy, while 34% felt it would weaken it.

In western Germany, the distribution was reversed: 30% expected democracy to be strengthened, whereas 47% believed democracy would be weakened in such a scenario.

A single-party government led by the AfD met with widespread skepticism in both regions. Only 30% of respondents in the east and 21% in the west expected an AfD-led solo government to strengthen democracy.

Conversely, 57% of respondents in the west and 44% in the east expressed concern that a solo AfD government would weaken democracy.

Participants were also questioned about a proposed “government of experts” model featuring shifting parliamentary majorities that would include the AfD.

According to the poll, 44% of eastern respondents and 39% of western respondents saw potential benefits in this framework.

However, 29% in the east and 34% in the west voiced partial or complete opposition to such a model.

In both regions, 27% of respondents answered that they did not know.

The expert government concept has been primarily advocated by the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

Opinion polls are inherently subject to uncertainties. Factors including declining party loyalty and a growing tendency toward late voting decisions increasingly complicate data interpretation for polling agencies.