The man likely to lead Germany's next government says there would be no cooperation with the far-right AfD. Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc has faced flak after accepting AfD support on legislation.

Support for Germany's conservative CDU/CSU alliance has dropped to 28% ahead of elections on February 23, a poll showed on Tuesday, days after it cooperated with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to pass a motion in parliament.

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Germany to protest against the CDU and AfD.

The former German chancellor said it was not right to remain silent after her party, the conservative CDU, relied on votes from the far-right AfD to pass a motion in parliament.

Support for Germany's conservative bloc fell by 2 percentage points to 28% within a week, a survey showed on Tuesday after its lead candidate Friedrich Merz used the backing of the far-right to get plans for a migration crackdown through parliament.