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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- September 15, 2026 14:55
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Germany's ruling conservatives have called a special meeting for Sunday, where senior party leaders are expected to discuss recent election losses and express support for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is facing difficulties, a party source told Reuters on Tuesday.
Merz is facing growing criticism from within the party, following the Christian Democrats' (CDU) poor showing this month in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came close to securing an absolute majority in state elections.
Nationally, the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, are getting 18% to 20% in the polls, well below their result in last year's federal election and significantly behind the AfD.
Trust in the chancellor has also waned within his own party. An INSA poll over the weekend showed that a majority of CDU supporters no longer believe Merz is the right person for the job, while 78% of the general public expressed the same view.
According to the source, the purpose of Sunday's meeting is to coordinate the party's response to two other votes taking place that same day in the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, determine a strategy in the face of record low support, and demonstrate unity behind Merz's leadership.
After the poor result in Saxony-Anhalt, some critics within the CDU have said that another poor result this weekend could increase the pressure on Merz.
Speaking at an event with business leaders on Tuesday, Merz said he was determined to complete his full four-year term and pursue other reforms together with his coalition partner, the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), to solve Germany's problems.
"We need to prove that this can be achieved with this coalition," Merz said, adding that he did not want to resort to a no-confidence motion to advance his agenda.
The CDU is currently polling at 7% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In Berlin, it is in the lead along with the Left Party, each with 20%.
Merz has rejected attempts to tie his political future to the results of elections in individual states, arguing that Germany needs stability to push forward an ambitious reform agenda and confront European challenges, including acts of hybrid warfare and support for Ukraine.