Former domestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maaßen and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer | Bernd Von Jutrczenka/AFP via Getty Images Seehofer popularity drops amid intelligence chief scandal: poll Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc also took a hit in the wake of Hans-Georg Maaßen’s removal, survey finds.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer's approval ratings have taken a hit in the aftermath of a scandal over the country's intelligence chief, according to a new poll published Friday.

About 59 percent of Germans participating in a poll by German public broadcaster ARD said they believed Seehofer was "a bad choice" to lead the interior ministry. Only 28 percent said they supported Seehofer, a drop of 11 percentage points since April.

The low for Seehofer, who is also the leader of Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), comes just weeks ahead of a Bavarian election in which his party — which has dominated the wealthy southern state’s politics since World War II — looks likely to lose its absolute majority.

Seehofer came under fire in recent weeks for backing intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maaßen when he came under attack for questioning the authenticity of a video showing a foreigner being chased at a far-right rally in Chemnitz, as well as allegations he provided the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party with confidential government material.

Merkel's governing coalition removed Maaßen from his job earlier this week, but granted him a better-paid, more senior position as state secretary in Seehofer's ministry.

The heavy blowback over the decision also translated into a drop in support for the chancellor's conservative bloc, according to the new poll, which found that only 28 percent of respondents said they would cast their vote for her alliance if an election were held on Sunday. The result marks the bloc's worst performance in the ARD poll since 1997.

The AfD became the country's second most popular party after Merkel's conservatives, polling at 18 percent, one percentage point above the center-left Social Democrats. The far-right party overtook the SPD for the first time in a national poll in February earlier this year.