Germany’s beleaguered leader, Friedrich Merz, has sought to shore up support for his flagging chancellorship among senior members of his conservative party after its drubbing at the polls in two state elections. Merz, who has vowed his fractious coalition government will plough ahead with an unpopular reform agenda, held an early meeting in Berlin with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)’s leadership on Monday. Germany faces political uncertainty as Merz, 70, clings to power in the aftermath of three hefty defeats this month, which saw the CDU ousted from a state parliament for the first time ever and the far-right and far-left making strong gains at its expense.
The embattled Merz vowed to keep on fighting on Sunday, election day in Berlin and the coastal northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. But after the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) emerged victorious in Mecklenburg for the third time in a German state, securing 38%, his position looked increasingly fragile. The anti-immigration, pro-Russia AfD’s leaders on Monday predicted that Merz would be out of office in months, as they set their sights on securing victory at the next federal election in 2029.
The result was all the more shocking as Mecklenburg was once a CDU stronghold. In Berlin, the CDU fell to second place behind the far-left Linke party, which is on track to lead the next government in the city-state and could give Berlin its first Turkish-born mayor in its lead candidate, Elif Eralp. In Mecklenburg, the SPD under its existing state leader, Manuela Schwesig, is expected to lead a three-party coalition government.
Her campaign had focused almost wholly on presenting herself as a buttress against the AfD, as well as distancing herself from the federal government’s reform agenda. The SPD is Merz’s coalition partner in the government. Although the CDU’s poor performance had been predicted, Sunday’s outcomes only added to the extreme pressure on Merz already after the CDU’s crushing defeat to the AfD in the state of Saxony-Anhalt two weeks ago, which triggered the first serious speculation over his future as leader.
Last week, the CDU’s powerful regional leaders governing in eight states gave their backing to Merz, but questions remain as to how sustained their support will be. At the same time there appear to be few candidates willing to step up to the post, which is increasingly being viewed as a poisoned chalice. Karin Prien, education minister and deputy CDU leader, accepted accusations that the government was failing to take voters’ fears seriously enough.
But she said the government had no choice other than to continue trying to reform Germany from within, at a time of chronic economic weakness and global instability. Nevertheless, not everything can remain as it is,” she told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. On Monday, SPD leaders said they remained confident in their coalition with the CDU, but said that changes to the agenda were necessary.
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