Only 14 percent consider Merz the right chancellor
Only 14 percent of people in Germany consider Friedrich Merz to be the right head of government. 78 percent do not. This was the result of an online survey conducted by the Insa institute on behalf of "Bild," in which 1,003 people participated from September 10 to 11, with a margin of error of plus/minus 3.1 percentage points. Even among Union voters, a majority rejects the chancellor: 58 percent spoke out against him, while 36 percent support him.
The figures hit the chancellor in a week in which the party base is also becoming restless. Saxon CDU district chairmen have demanded a district chairmen's conference in a letter to Merz and Secretary General Franziska Hoppermann. "A new departure and more substance are needed," said Member of the Bundestag Florian Oest. The trigger is the defeat in Saxony-Anhalt, where the CDU's result was more than halved to 17.2 percent.
Nationally, the AfD is at 29 percent in the same survey, the Union at 20, and the SPD at 13. Elections will be held in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin on September 20. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the CDU is polling at seven percent, the AfD at 36, and the SPD at 33. Local elections are taking place in Lower Saxony this Sunday.
At the same time, there is support. CSU leader Markus Söder declared that Merz stands by the reforms and ruled out a coup against the chancellor by the CSU. He added that he is not responsible for the CDU. Meanwhile, there is talk within the CDU about successors, with Söder and North Rhine-Westphalian Minister-President Hendrik Wüst being mentioned.
For you, this does not change anything regarding services or administrative procedures for the time being. The outcome of the two state elections on September 20 will be important because it will determine whether the coalition continues its reform plans. Anyone eligible to vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Berlin should now check whether their polling card has arrived and by when postal voting can be requested.