Is Germany's oldest political party doomed?

"This year is a big election year in Germany: Five of the 16 federal states are set to elect new parliaments. But the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), once one of the country's most successful and biggest parties, is struggling to muster any optimism at all: According to the latest opinion polls, it could be voted out of power in two of those states, after governing them for decades. In two of the other states, the Social Democrats are currently garnering meager single-digit results."

"The SPD was founded as a traditional workers' party in 1863, which makes it the country's oldest political party. In that period, it aimed to be the political representative of factory workers, whose precarious lives were characterized by long working hours, low wages, job insecurity, a lack of occupational safety, and a housing shortage. Blue collar workers became the SPD's voter base, buying into the promise of education, equal opportunities and equal rights for all, regardless of class or origin."

"Nowadays, however, the traditional working class no longer exists: Well-paid industrial workers have long become the middle class in society. According to a survey by pollster Forsa in November 2025, only 9% of Germany's blue-collar workers and the unemployed said they'd vote for the SPD. Those who feel socially disadvantaged now tend to sympathize with the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD). After the general election in February 2025, an infratest-dimap poll found that 38% of working class voters had cast their ballot for the AfD."

The SPD faces severe electoral decline in multiple German states, risking loss of long-held governments and recording single-digit support in some regions. The party originated in 1863 as a workers' party representing factory workers enduring long hours, low pay, insecurity, unsafe workplaces, and housing shortages. Those blue-collar voters historically supported SPD promises of education, equal opportunities and rights. Industrial workers have largely become middle class, while socially disadvantaged voters increasingly back the AfD. Polls show only 9% support among blue-collar workers and the unemployed, and 38% of working-class votes went to the AfD in February 2025.

Read at www.dw.com