AFP GETTY Angela Merkel's popularity has dropped to a record low in the wake of the migrant crisis

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The Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) popularity has been hit by the German Chancellor’s open door policy which has seen more than one million migrants arrive in Germany. Support for Mrs Merkel’s CDU has dipped below the 30 per cent mark for the first time, with her Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners gaining slightly a year before a federal election. According to a poll by the Research Institute INSA for newspaper Bild, only 29.5 per cent of Germans support the party, which is the worst result for the CDU in INSA’s history.

29.5% of Germans surveyed support Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union

Mrs Merkel’s popularity saw a sharp decline last year as the migrant crisis engulfed the EU. She has come under fire for her open door policy which has seen a wave of anti-migrant sentiment dominate German politics following a series of terror attacks involving migrants. Based on interviews with 2,085 respondents, the SPD gained one per cent but was still far behind at 22 per cent.

REUTERS Support for Mrs Merkel’s CDU has dipped to 29.5 per cent

The Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) also have become less popular. Right-wing Alternative for Deutscheland (AfD) maintained its position with 15 per cent of those surveyed supporting the party. Mrs Merkel's popularity waned after she launched her open-door migrant policy last year, although it has recovered somewhat in the last few months. She is widely expected to stand for a fourth term in September 2017.

AFP More than one million migrants have arrived in Germany since last year

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The AfD has gained ground in regional elections this year and pollsters say many voters are disillusioned with Mrs Merkel's right-left ruling coalition. The SPD's preferred partner is the Green Party, down 0.5 percentage points at 11 per cent. The radical Left party, which some in the SPD view as a possible partner, was up by the same amount at 12 per cent. INSA chief Hermann Binkert told Bild: "Germany is looking at the most exciting election in its history.”

Other surveys show similar trends but INSA tends to show higher support for the AfD than other pollsters. The poll comes as the Chancellor weighed in on Brexit negotiations. Mrs Merkel has repeatedly stressed that access to the EU’s single market requires a country to accept the bloc's principle of the free movement of people.

'Merkel must go!' Protest in Dresden as Merkel arrives to celebrate German Unity Day Mon, October 3, 2016 Protesters jeered at German Chancellor Angela Merkel as she attended celebrations in Dresden to mark 26 years since Germany's reunification called German Unity Day. Play slideshow 1 of 14