Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives has dropped to its lowest level in more than three years, a poll showed on Sunday, as her allies in the state of Bavaria stepped up criticism of her handling of the refugee crisis.
Horst Seehofer, head of the conservative Christian Social Union in Bavaria, the entry point for most migrants coming to Germany, said that the existence of the conservative bloc was at stake if she did not “correct” her asylum policy, Reuters reported.
The Emnid poll put Merkel’s conservatives down 1 percentage point at 36%, its lowest since Sept. 2012, with the opposition Greens gaining 1 point to reach 10%.
The other main parties remained unchanged with the Social Democrats (SPD), who share power with Merkel, at 26% and the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, which has made gains in recent weeks, at 7%.
Merkel has been criticized by some conservatives for opening up Germany’s borders to Syrian refugees, a move they say has spurred more migrants to come. Critics, especially in Bavaria, want to introduce limits on the number of refugees allowed to enter the country.
