Support for Germany's conservative bloc dropped by 2 percentage points to 28% over the week, according to a poll released on Tuesday, after its leading candidate, Friedrich Merz, received support from the far-right to push through migration crackdown plans in parliament.
With less than three weeks to go before the federal elections, a Forsa poll for RTL/ntv also showed that support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) remained steady at 16%. The far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) remained unchanged at 20%.
Merz, who is running for chancellor with the conservative CDU/CSU alliance, last week secured parliamentary approval for a proposal to limit migration with votes from the AfD, breaking a taboo on cooperating with the far-right.
The campaign focus sharply shifted to migration after January 22, when an Afghan asylum seeker was arrested for deadly knife wounds, following other high-profile murders in public places committed by individuals of immigrant background.
Merz's attempt to continue pushing a supplementary migration bill in parliament failed last Friday, when some of his own lawmakers refused to support him.
The Forsa poll was conducted from January 28 to February 3, almost entirely after the first parliamentary vote.
Despite the setbacks, Merz continues to actively push his migration policy, counting on the support of voters concerned about the increasing number of refugees and migrants. This issue remains at the center of political debates, and each new vote heightens tensions in parliament.
At the same time, Merz's opponents, particularly from the left-wing and green parties, are against cooperating with the far-right and criticize the migration policy as being contrary to principles of equality and human rights. This divide between conservative and left-wing forces is becoming increasingly apparent and is influencing preparations for the elections.