Germany's far-right AfD extends lead over Merz's conservatives

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is maintaining its strong lead in opinion polls ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative bloc, according to a poll released on Friday. 

If a parliamentary election were held this Sunday, the AfD would get 28%, two percentage points more than a week earlier. The conservative bloc of Merz's Christian Democrats and the Christian Social Union would have 22%, one point less than the previous poll.

The Social Democrats - currently in coalition with the conservatives - are also one point down, at 13%. The Greens would gain two percentage points and, at 15%, would rank third. The Left falls one percentage point to 10%. 

According to the poll, the governing coalition would not hold a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.

For the poll, 1,297 randomly selected eligible voters were surveyed by telephone and online during November 10-12.