Federal Government | Merz between support and demand for resignation

Chancellor Friedrich Merz appeared “humble” at the parliamentary group meeting. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa The CDU is trying to remain united after the election defeats in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin. But even after the first meeting of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag after the summer break, it remains questionable how great the actual support for Friedrich Merz is within his own ranks. Parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei assured the Chancellor of MPs' support on Tuesday and there was no open revolt against Merz, but considerable criticism of his political leadership and communication was voiced in the more than two-hour debate. In addition, former CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja publicly called for the Chancellor to resign.

Frei had already stated before the meeting began that the Chancellor had the support of the parliamentary group. The Union must stick to the agreed reforms and not draw the wrong conclusions from the election results. The pension reform in particular must be implemented quickly and as an overall package. Frei was convinced that the coalition with the SPD could implement the plans.

It remained unclear whether the demonstrative support of the parliamentary group leadership actually reflected the mood among the MPs. According to participants, there were several critical comments during the meeting. The former parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus is said to have accused the CDU of a credibility and future deficit and settled accounts with Merz. “We are asked in the constituency how long things will continue with Friedrich Merz,” Brinkhaus is said to have said, according to “Spiegel”.

Brinkhaus apparently accused the Chancellor of the fact that all CDU chairmen had been able to hold the country together. This is different now. The party cannot seek responsibility for its situation solely from crises or other parties. “We all have to change, and first and foremost you,” Brinkhaus is said to have demanded. In addition, the CDU under Merz is not broad enough. “Everyone has to ask themselves whether and how they can still help this country and this party,” Brinkhaus is said to have explained. A statement that can be interpreted in different ways. According to participants, he received a lot of applause for his contribution.

»We all have to change, and first and foremost you.«

However, there was no actual revolt against the Chancellor. According to the available reports, the criticism was limited to individual requests to speak. Merz's performance was rated differently by participants. While CDU budget politician Matthias Middelberg described him as "humble," others reported a more businesslike and uninspiring appearance. The Chancellor admitted his own mistakes and at the same time advocated for the continuation of his reform course.

According to participants at the meeting, Merz took responsibility for the election defeats. "I have my share in these election results," he was quoted as saying. At the same time, he stuck to the reforms that had already been agreed. Above all, the pension reform must be implemented in accordance with the decisions of the coalition committee.

The question of the Chancellor's political support has not been resolved. The Union suffered heavy losses in the three state elections in September. In Saxony-Anhalt the CDU fell significantly behind, and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania it was thrown out of the state parliament. In Berlin it was replaced as the strongest force by the Left. The results have sparked discussions within the party about the course and political leadership.

»Giving him any more time makes no sense at all. The prime ministers did not have this courage. But the base of the CDU will now vote with their feet and I believe the time will soon come.

Pressure is also growing outside the group. Mario Czaja, who was CDU General Secretary from January 2022 to July 2023 and was fired by Merz and currently does not have a Bundestag mandate, called for Merz's resignation in the "Freedom of Expression" program on the "Welt" television station. He lost basic trust right from the start: “I think he simply lacks the emotional intelligence to understand what is currently happening in the country. I think it’s time for him to vacate the spot.”

It just doesn't work for him anymore. »Giving him any more time makes no sense at all. The prime ministers did not have this courage. But the base of the CDU will now vote with their feet, and I believe the time has soon come." Czaja thus joins the ranks of those who had publicly called on Merz to resign, including the billionaire and CDU donor Carsten Maschmeyer, the publicist Michel Friedman and the deputy CDU state chairman of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Tino Schomann.

At the same time, surveys show that Merz has lost significant support nationwide. According to the latest RTL/N-TV “Trend Barometer” from Forsa, 55 percent of those surveyed support his resignation and 40 percent are in favor of him remaining in office. However, among Union supporters, 78 percent reject resignation, while 21 percent support it. Forsa interviewed 1,509 people between September 17th and 21st. The margin of error is around three percentage points. The Union remains at 20 percent on the Sunday question, while the AfD has 27 percent. The values ​​are a snapshot and not a forecast.

»I think he simply lacks the emotional intelligence to understand what is currently happening in the country. I think it’s time for him to vacate the spot.”

Meanwhile, the federal government is sticking to its reform course. Head of the Chancellery Nina Warken called for the plans to be implemented quickly. SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch also signaled his willingness to implement the pension reform. He is “in good spirits” that a pension package will be produced at the end of further discussions. The planned abolition of the pension without deductions after 45 years of contributions is particularly controversial. The SPD rejects the measure in its current form, and there is also criticism in the Union.

The parliamentary group meeting showed one thing above all: the leadership of the Union is trying to limit the debate about Friedrich Merz's political future with references to unity and the implementation of the reforms. There has so far been no open, joint revolt. However, it is unlikely that the Chancellor actually has broad support after his election defeats. With agencies

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