Merkel's Party Popularity Reaches Historic Low Amid Refugee Crisis

Merkel's CDU party reached a new record in terms of its decreasing popularity, German newspaper Bild wrote, referring to the results of a survey conducted by the Research Institute INSA.

According to the poll, based on interviews with 2,085 respondents, only 29.5% of Germans support the party, which is the worst result in the CDU's history.

The popularity of German Chancellor Angela Merkel saw a sharp decline in the previous year following the introduction of her open-door policy toward migrants. Her strategy has contributed to the arrival of over one million refugees in Germany alone, raising concerns among the local population.

In the regional election last month, Angela Merkel's CDU party came in third place with 19 percent, overtaken by the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which won 20.8 percent of the vote. During the September state parliamentary election in Berlin, the AfD won 25 seats, becoming the fifth in popularity among voters.

Data obtained by the survey with regard to other parties showed that the popularity of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Left party rose by 1% (up to 22%) and by 0.5% (up to 12%), respectively. The Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), by contrast, have become less popular among German voters, while "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) has maintained its position (15%).