The fallout from the traffic light coalition’s collapse has hit Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP) harder than its leader Christian Lindner likely anticipated.
A new Forsa survey for Stern and RTL reveals the party’s support has plunged, even among its core base. Shockingly, 65% of Germans say they wouldn’t mind if the FDP disappeared from the Bundestag, with only 32% expressing regret over such a scenario—down from 37% before the coalition crisis.
The party’s troubles are especially glaring among self-employed voters, a traditional stronghold, where 62% say they wouldn’t miss the FDP in parliament. Even CDU/CSU supporters, typically more sympathetic, are less enthusiastic, with just 49% saying they’d regret the FDP’s absence—a notable dip.
Meanwhile, the FDP fares even worse among supporters of its former coalition partners: 72% of SPD voters and a staggering 91% of Greens supporters wouldn’t bat an eye if the liberals failed to clear the Bundestag’s 5% threshold. Current polls consistently place the FDP below this mark, signaling serious trouble if elections were held today.
