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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing a crisis of confidence within his party following the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) defeat in elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports, citing The Guardian, that Merz’s popularity has fallen so sharply that his party did not want him to take part in its election campaign.
According to the publication, the chancellor’s image did not appear on any election posters, while Merz was kept largely away from the public during a visit to Magdeburg, the state capital.
In the elections held on Sept. 6, the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 43.8% of the vote. The CDU, led by the chancellor, received 17.2%.
The Guardian described the result as a “disastrous” defeat for the CDU. According to the publication’s analysts, Merz’s leadership has become a burden for the party, and his standing could come under serious question in the near future.
Two more votes are due to be held on Sept. 20 in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Forecasts suggest that the CDU is also expected to perform poorly in those elections.
The publication notes that Merz is currently being protected only by the lack of a convincing alternative and constitutional obstacles to abruptly changing Germany’s leadership.
According to The Guardian, the current situation has already gone beyond party tactics. The publication writes that Germany has entered a period of political upheaval in which the core values of the postwar republic are being called into question.
Friedrich Merz earlier acknowledged the CDU’s defeat based on the results of the elections in Saxony-Anhalt. The chancellor called it a “profound turning point” for the party and noted that Russia and the United States had congratulated the Alternative for Germany party.
