{
  "id": 7101477,
  "title": "Kanzler und Koalition: AfD-Sieg, Streit und miese Umfragen: Merz unter Druck",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/kanzler-und-koalition-afd-sieg-streit-und-miese-umfragen-merz-unter",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-13T11:17:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/kanzler-und-koalition-afd-sieg-streit-und-miese-umfragen-merz-unter-druck/100254172.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Friedrich Merz, the Chancellor of the CDU-led coalition, is facing pressure amidst poor poll numbers. According to an Insa online poll commissioned by \"Bild,\" only 14% of Germans still view Merz as the appropriate chancellor, while 78% do not. Even a majority of CDU voters oppose him. An equally sobering Insa poll for \"Bild\" shows the AfD at 29%, up one point from the previous week, while the CDU remains at 20% and the SPD at 13%.\n\nMerz acknowledged his mistakes after the devastating loss in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, where the AfD received more than twice the votes of the CDU. He promised to better explain the government's policies and reach out to people's emotions. Merz used a Wednesday speech at the Bundestag to criticize the AfD, which he accused of attempting ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin color.\n\nCDU and CSU representatives defended Merz but did so in a subdued manner. Markus Söder, the CSU leader, briefly defended the Chancellor in a \"Bild\" interview, stating simply that \"he stands behind the reforms.\" However, he also mentioned that alternative candidates face similar challenges. The CSU promised not to overthrow Merz. Söder emphasized that a CDU chancellor must provide guidance to the country and solve concrete problems.\n\nIn Saxony, CDU politicians openly expressed their discontent with Merz and demanded a change. They requested a \"Agenda 2030\" that would ensure social progress is tied to economic growth. Merz himself had to decide whether he has the strength for this new approach. A CDU chancellor should guide the country and solve problems concretely, Oest said.\n\nA significant portion of the Union's influential business circle, led by Christian von Stetten, criticized SPD leader Manuela Schwesig's leadership, accusing her of blocking necessary reforms. Vandebel Bas, the Bundesarbeitsministerin, was labeled \"no longer viable\" by von Stetten. He accused the SPD's Co-Chef, Verzögerungen bei Gesetzesvorschlägen zu Sozialreformen and her rejection of necessary austerity measures. Von Stetten called the SPD's budget proposal for the upcoming year \"unacceptable\" and claimed that Klingbeil had not implemented the necessary austerity measures and had proposed new taxes instead.\n\nThe SPD-Chef, Lars Klingbeil, expressed his frustration at the current state of affairs, saying that \"where do some in the CDU actually want to go?\" The broader Union coalition faces a \"second majority\" alongside the Union and SPD, Klingbeil stated in a Celle interview. He called for unity and warned against public attacks on individuals and proposals, emphasizing that this type of behavior could weaken the political center and benefit populists in the country.",
  "summary": "Für Kanzler Friedrich Merz und seine Partei läuft es nicht. Die AfD sitzt ihnen im Nacken. Schon in einer Woche droht der CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern das nächste Wahldebakel. Wie reagiert Merz?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}