Under-fire Merz vows to show 'patience' and 'backbone'
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has started the week more damaged than ever after his centre-right CDU party suffered two bruising regional election defeats at the hands of far-right and far-left parties.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany has declared the recent state elections a "disaster" for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, despite exit polls indicating potential setbacks. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party's performance was worse than anticipated, with its share of votes dropping below the 5% threshold necessary to retain its parliamentary seats.
Merz labeled this outcome as "a disaster" for the CDU. Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party appeared poised to win the most votes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, though it would likely struggle to form a government without other parties' cooperation. In Berlin, the ruling CDU was expected to fall behind Die Linke (The Left) in the polls.
Chancellor Merz is facing mounting pressure due to poor approval ratings and circulating rumors of a potential mid-term replacement in a so-called chancellor swap. He reiterated his commitment to pursuing economic, tax, and welfare reforms, emphasizing the necessity of "backbone, steadfastness, and patience" in implementing these changes.
Despite the party's struggles, Merz remains steadfast in his position, vowing to stay on as chancellor and drive forward his coalition government's agenda.
Written by urgent.news from KahawaTungu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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