German Conservatives Scramble to Save Merz

German conservatives have called an emergency meeting for Sunday, with senior party figures expected to assess recent electoral setbacks and rally behind embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Discontent within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is mounting after its poor showing in Saxony-Anhalt, where the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) came close to securing a majority.

The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, now stand at just 18% to 20% nationwide, well below their result in last year’s federal election and behind the AfD. According to an INSA poll, a majority of CDU supporters no longer believe Merz is the right person to serve as chancellor. Among the wider public, that figure rises to 78%.

Sunday’s meeting is intended to unite the party around a common strategy ahead of elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin. The CDU currently stands at 7% and 20% in the two states respectively. In Berlin, it is tied for first place with the Left (Die Linke).

Critics warn that another defeat could increase pressure on the chancellor. Merz has refused to tie his political future to individual state elections, arguing that Germany needs stability to push through reforms, counter hybrid threats and continue supporting Ukraine.

He has also pointed to a problem facing his internal critics: the party has neither an obvious successor nor a clear alternative political course.

(Reuters, bak)