New data suggests that 11% of Germans are more likely to vote for Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) following yesterday’s terror attack in Munich.
The suspected Islamist attack left the country in shock after a failed Afghan asylum seeker allegedly drove a car through a crowded demonstration, injuring 36 people, including children.
Germany will head to the polls on February 23 for an election in which immigration will play a pivotal role at the ballot box.
According to new polling conducted for the Democracy Institute for the Daily Express, the attack had a distinct impact on Germans, with more than one in 10 of the 1,580 asked saying it would make them more likely to vote for the AfD.
The party, like many far-right parties across Europe, is firmly opposed to Islamist radicalisation and increased levels of immigration, with party rallies often calling for “remigration”.
READ MORE: Germany's far-right vows 'total border closures' if it wins election
The polling further boosted the AfD, with its 46-year-old leader, Alice Weidel, being the most popular choice to become the next Chancellor.
The former banker received 32% of the vote, ahead of CDU leader Friedrich Merz and incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz in third.
Donald Trump’s hardline approach to irregular immigration has resonated with German voters, with 52% of those surveyed saying that the Government should “adopt hardline migration and draconian deportation policies” similar to the US President.
The attack came less than two months after a similar attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg killed six people and injured more than 200.
There have been several high-profile incidents of attacks by asylum seekers across the country, including a stabbing rampage in the city of Aschaffenburg last month, which left two people, including a child, dead.
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Immigration has long been a critical issue for German politicians as Europe’s biggest economy labours to balance its responsibilities within the EU with a growing resentment to high levels of migration.
Critics argue that the repercussions of Angela Merkel's 2015 “Willkommenskultur” (welcome culture) policy, which allowed more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees into the country, are still being felt in Germany, with far-right parties such as the AfD gaining popular support.
The AfD has surged in popularity since its formation in 2013 and has built up regional support bases throughout the country.
Their victory in September's state election in Thuringia, the first time a far-right party has won at the ballot box in Germany since World War Two, sent shockwaves through the European political landscape. Many countries across the continent were faced with the burgeoning of similar parties within their own borders.
Trump loyalist Elon Musk has previously endorsed Weidel for Chancellor, describing her as the "leading candidate to run Germany".
Musk’s involvement in German elections has faced mixed reactions from those polled, with some indicating a liking for it and similar numbers saying they disapprove.
When asked if they approve of Musk’s online remarks about the direction the country should take, 34% said they approved of his involvement, while 40% said they disapproved.
The mood is similarly mixed when it comes to the impact the Tesla founder’s impact might have on voting intentions. The 29% who say it makes them more likely to vote for the AfD are primarily offset by the 25% who say it makes them less likely to and the 46% who believe it makes no difference.
Weidel has tried in recent months to distance her party from allegations of extremism, insisting that the party was "conservative" and "libertarian" but had been "negatively framed" by mainstream media as extremist.
Senior party members have in the past been accused of denying that the SS committed war crimes in World War 2, whilst the rallying cry of supporters at events, “Alice fur Deutschland” has been criticised for its similarity to the illegal Nazi motto “Alles fur Deutschland”.
The party is widely expected to come second in the election, which would make it the country’s official Opposition.
Polling for the Daily Express supports this, with the party gaining 26% of the vote, putting it ahead of Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SDP) on 15% but narrowly behind the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on 29%.
The performance of AfD is likely to pose an early headache for CDU leader Merz should he become Chancellor.
The CDU, often compared to the British Conservative party, has long attempted to stymie the growth of the AfD as it tries to stem the flow of support across the right of the political spectrum.
In recent years, Merz has drawn criticism from some, including former Chancellor Angela Merkel, for his willingness to vote with the AfD on legislation concerned with migration.