By Andreas Rinke
BERLIN, Sept 15 (Reuters) – Germany’s governing conservatives have called a special meeting for Sunday, where senior party figures are expected to discuss recent electoral setbacks and rally behind embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a party source said on Tuesday.
Merz is under growing internal criticism following his Christian Democrats’ (CDU) poor performance this month in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came close to securing an outright majority in a state election.
PRESSURE ON MERZ INTENSIFIES
At the national level, the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, are polling at between 18% and 20%, far below their result in last year’s federal election and significantly behind the AfD.
Confidence in the chancellor has also weakened within his own party. A weekend INSA poll found that a majority of CDU supporters no longer believe Merz is the right person for the job, while 78% of the wider public said the same.
According to the source, the aim of Sunday’s meeting is to coordinate the party’s response to two further votes taking place on Sunday in the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, chart a course amid record low support – and demonstrate unity behind Merz’s leadership.
After the setback in Saxony-Anhalt, some CDU critics have said another poor performance this weekend could intensify pressure on Merz.
Asked at an event with business leaders whether poor outcomes in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin state polls could unseat him, Merz said he was determined to serve out his full four-year term.
Instead, he said the coalition with the centre-left SPD would pursue more reforms to solve Germany’s problems.
MERZ PROMISES TO EASE FUEL COSTS
“I was elected for four years, and I would like us to use these four years to steer the country out of this difficult period,” said Merz, adding that he did not want to resort to a vote of confidence to push through his agenda.
He said he wanted, among other things, the European Union to strike more trade alliances, such as those with the MERCOSUR bloc, Mexico and Australia, as a counterweight to U.S. and Chinese economic dominance.
Merz also promised fuel cost relief measures for motorists burdened by a surge in oil prices, but did not elaborate.
At a separate event, Markus Soeder, leader of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the CSU, said he was backing Merz and expected CDU leaders to do the same.
The CDU is currently polling at 7% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In Berlin, it is tied for the lead with the Left party at 20%.
Merz has rejected attempts to tie his political future to individual state election results, arguing that Germany needs stability to push through an ambitious reform agenda and navigate European challenges including acts of hybrid warfare and support for Ukraine.
He has said there are no obvious alternative leaders or policies.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Miranda Murray, Writing by Friederike Heine and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Ros Russell)
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