German Social Democrats' Support Hits Record-Low Level Since 1997

The German Social Democratic Party (SPD) has reached the lowest level of support in almost 20 years, while the right-wing AfD party gained its record-high 15-percent support, a new poll revealed Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the monthly poll commissioned by the German ARD television channel and conducted by the German Infratest dimap pollster, the center-left SPD saw the record-low level of support since 1997, with only 20 percent of respondents saying they would vote for the party if elections took place next Sunday.

Each third voter would support Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), the poll revealed.

According to the survey, Germany's Green Party would secure 13 percent of votes, while some eight percent of voters would back the left-wing Die Linke party.

Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) would receive only 6 percent of total votes if elections took place next Sunday.

In March, several German regions held elections which highlighted the growing popularity of the AfD. The right-wing party won nearly 25 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt and more than 15 percent in Baden-Wurttemberg, the results it had not reached before. However, it failed to win seats in the regional governments as other political forces ruled out any coalition talks with the far-right party.