And the defence minister, Boris Pistorius, has become Germany’s most popular politician despite issuing stark warnings that the country must be kriegstüchtig, or “war-capable”, by the end of the decade.

The conservative Christian Democrats have not suffered major damage in the polls despite having accepted support from the far right. But fewer people now trust Chancellor hopeful Friedrich Merz not to veer to the right.

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.

Tens of thousands of Germans have protested in Berlin and other cities against the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party ahead of the Feb. 23 election.

German inflation was unchanged in January, coming in at 2.8% on an annual basis according to preliminary data from statistics office Destatis. The print was also in line with a Reuters forecast. Friday's inflation reading is among the last key data points before the German election on Feb.

Germany elects a new parliament on February 23, with potential ramifications for the financial industry of Europe's largest economy. Spoiler alert: The far-right Alternative for Germany wants to exit the euro and deregulate Bitcoin,

Support for Germany’s center-right CDU/CSU alliance led by Friedrich Merz dropped in a new poll, while the Greens and two smaller far-left parties gained.

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.