GERMANY – Merz dismisses speculation of early resignation

BERLIN, September 15 /ATSH -AA/ – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz dismissed on Tuesday speculation that he could leave office early, after his party’s heavy defeat in Saxony-Anhalt and weak poll numbers.

“I was elected for four years and I want us to use these four years to get the country out of this difficult phase,” Merz said at a business congress in Berlin.

He said he wants the coalition of the conservative CDU/CSU alliance with the social democrats to be successful and pledged to continue this work.

“We want to be successful with this coalition and I will do everything to continue to make this possible,” he said.

Merz defended the government’s record, saying the coalition has set in motion more reforms in just 16 months than the country has achieved in many previous years.

– Poll puts AfD far ahead of conservatives

The comments came after the debate on his future intensified following a sharp defeat of the conservatives in Saxony-Anhalt, while a new nationwide poll put Alternative for Germany (AfD) far ahead of his Christian democrats.

A GMS poll published on Monday put AfD at a record 30 percent nationally, 10 points ahead of Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, which fell to 20 percent, the lowest GMS poll level for the conservatives.

The social democrats (SPD) stayed at 11 percent. Taken together, the chancellor’s coalition would remain far from a parliamentary majority if national elections were held this week.

The figures mark a sharp change from the federal elections of February 23, 2025, when CDU/CSU won 28.5 percent and AfD 20.8 percent.

– Regional votes seen as the next test for Merz

The poll was conducted a few days before the regional elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin on Sunday. These votes are being watched as a further test for Merz after AfD won 43.8 percent in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6. In that eastern state, the CDU fell to a historic low of 17.2 percent.

Speculation has grown for weeks about a possible change of chancellor, with North Rhine-Westphalia premier Hendrik Wuest mentioned as a possible successor within the CDU.

A leadership battle within the Christian democrats after the state elections would not in itself dissolve the Bundestag or force an early national vote. If party pressure pushed Merz out, parliament would have to elect a new chancellor without a national vote.