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Merz faces resignation pressure in Germany: “I will remain in office for four years”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at a business congress in Berlin that he wants to complete his four-year term and lead the country out of a difficult period. An Forsa poll showed the Alternative for Germany with 30 percent support, 10 points ahead of the alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected discussions that he could leave office early following his party’s heavy election defeat in Saxony-Anhalt and its declining support in opinion polls.
Speaking at a business congress in Berlin on Tuesday, Merz said he had been elected to serve a four-year term and wanted to use that time to lead the country out of a difficult period.
I want to use these four years to lead the country out of a difficult period.
Merz said he would work to ensure the coalition between the Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union and the Social Democratic Party succeeded, adding that he would do everything in his power to keep the government in office.
Arguing that the coalition government had launched more reforms in 16 months than Germany had achieved in previous years, Merz also defended the government’s record.
Alternative for Germany leads in Forsa poll
Merz’s remarks came after the conservatives suffered a severe election loss in Saxony-Anhalt. In a Forsa poll published on Monday, the Alternative for Germany reached 30 percent support, while the alliance formed by the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, stood at 20 percent.
The Alternative for Germany thus moved 10 points ahead of the alliance. Combined support for the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union fell to the lowest level recorded for conservatives in Forsa polls, while the Social Democratic Party was measured at 11 percent.
The poll results showed that Merz’s coalition would fail to secure a majority in parliament if an election were held this week. In the federal election held on February 23, 2025, the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union won 28.5 percent of the vote, while the Alternative for Germany received 20.8 percent.
Merz faces another test in regional elections
Regional elections to be held on Sunday in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin represent another test for Merz’s political future. The Alternative for Germany won 43.8 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6, while the Christian Democratic Union recorded 17.2 percent in the same state, its lowest result in history.
For weeks, Christian Democrats have been debating who could replace Merz. Hendrik Wüst, the minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia, is regarded as one of the party’s potential successors.
A leadership contest that may emerge among the Christian Democrats after the regional elections would not by itself mean that the Bundestag would be dissolved or that an early federal election would be held. If pressure within the party forces Merz to leave office, parliament can elect a new chancellor without a nationwide election being held.
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