BERLIN, April 28. /TASS/. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has fallen to last place in the popularity ranking of German politicians for the first time, a survey conducted by the INSA Sociological Institute commissioned by the Bild newspaper showed.

According to the poll, Merz dropped from 18th to 20th place, becoming the least popular politician in the survey, with just 28.9 points. The German chancellor’s declining popularity is seen not only nationwide but also within his own electorate. Even among supporters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance, he ranks near the bottom.

Among CDU/CSU voters, Merz scored only 55.1 points and ranked fifth. Only 10% of respondents rated him positively (8-10 points), while 58% viewed him negatively (0-4 points). He was surpassed by other leading conservative figures such as CSU leader Markus Soder, Minister-President of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wuest and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.

CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann also rose from 12th place into the top 10, placing 9th in the rating. According to Bild, a mixed picture is emerging for the CDU/CSU bloc. While conservatives are strengthening their influence, the party leader himself continues to lose support. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) topped the ranking.

Support for Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel also declined, with her falling 6th to 8th place. Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil of the SPD also dropped from 9th to 11th place.

The poll was conducted on April 24-27 among 2,010 respondents.