Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Duk da taken da suka daɗe suna faɗar "Bai kamata a sami jam'iyyar da aka ba da izini ta hanyar dimokiradiyya a hannun dama na CDU/CSU ba", Tarayyar ta sami babban mai fafatawa a hannun dama tun daga 2013. An kafa jam'iyyar Alternative for Germany (AfD) mai ra'ayin wariyar launin fata ta hannun dama tare da shigar da mambobin CDU marasa gamsuwa. Ya yi amfani da rashin jin daɗin wasu masu ra'ayin mazan jiya game da yadda gwamnatin Merkel ke kula da rikicin bashin Turai (2009<unk>14) kuma daga baya rikicin 'yan gudun hijirar 2015
, yana yin nadama game da asarar ikon mallaka da iko ko ma "rashin nasarar jihar". Kusan kashi 10 cikin 100 na mambobin AfD na farko sun kasance masu tsere daga CDU. A zaben 2017, CDU da CSU sun rasa babban bangare na kuri'unsu: Tare da kashi 26.8 na kuri'un jerin jam'iyyun, CDU ta sami sakamako mafi muni tun 1949, ta rasa kujeru sama da hamsin a Bundestag (duk da fadada majalisar). Bayan kasa yin shawarwari kan kawance da FDP da Greens, sun ci gaba da babban kawancen su da SPD. A watan Oktoba na 2018, Merkel ta ba da sanarwar cewa za ta sauka a matsayin shugabar CDU a watan Disamba, amma tana son kasancewa a matsayin shugabar gwamnati har zuwa 2021.