Support for Merz Plunges After CDU Election Losses in Germany

Support for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has fallen to a record low following a series of election setbacks suffered by his Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

A survey released on Thursday by Germany’s public broadcaster ARD found that only one in 10 respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with Merz’s performance. It is the lowest approval rating recorded for a German chancellor since the survey began in 1997.

The decline comes after the CDU suffered significant defeats in three state elections.

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the CDU failed to reach the five-percent threshold required to win seats in the state parliament. It was the first time the party had failed to enter the state parliament since the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in 1949.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as the largest party in the state, winning more than one-third of the vote.

In Berlin, the CDU also suffered a major setback, finishing behind the Left Party, which won 25.7 percent of the vote. The Left is seeking to form a government in the capital but will require coalition partners.

Two weeks earlier, the AfD had also won the state election in Saxony-Anhalt with more than 40 percent of the vote, compared with 17 percent for the CDU.

Despite growing pressure, Merz has said he intends to remain both CDU chairman and chancellor.

Political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder of the University of Kassel said the CDU was facing a difficult situation because there was no obvious successor capable of replacing Merz.

Under Germany’s Constitution, the Bundestag can remove a chancellor only by simultaneously electing a successor with an absolute majority.

Merz, who previously served as chairman of BlackRock’s German supervisory board, returned to frontline politics after being sidelined during Angela Merkel’s leadership. He eventually became chancellor in May 2025.

His government has faced criticism over several issues, including remarks about Germany’s “cityscape”, which critics interpreted as referring to the presence of refugees and migrants.

The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), currently govern in coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

The coalition is facing challenges including rising living costs, deindustrialisation, deteriorating infrastructure and a housing shortage in major cities.

Political scientist Nils Diederich said the coalition itself was a major factor behind the CDU’s poor electoral performance, arguing that the SPD had lost direction and was slowing down reforms.

The government announced a package of 34 measures in July covering pensions, taxation, bureaucracy and labour-market reforms. However, disagreements between the CDU and SPD have intensified following the state election defeats.

The SPD is calling for measures to reduce the financial burden of long-term care, while the CDU opposes its proposals. There are also disagreements over pension rules and possible tax increases.

Schroeder warned that the coalition could face further difficulties in the coming months. He said disagreements over reforms could increase pressure on Merz within the CDU or further weaken cooperation with the SPD.

The next major electoral test for the government will take place in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, where voters are due to elect a new parliament in April.

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