Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni and Mahmoud Abbas are among more than 50 leaders who won't make it to the UN General Assembly. Their reasons range from illness and domestic affairs to holidays.
Deutsche Welle7h ago
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has vowed to press ahead with controversial reforms, but resistance is mounting within his coalition partner, the SPD. How much dissent can a governing coalition tolerate?
Deutsche Welle10h ago
If Friedrich Merz and almost everyone else is unpopular, perhaps governments aren’t the issue
Hendrik Wüst, the popular premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, is seen as the most likely successor to Friedrich Merz
As the far right surges, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s unpopular economic policies and gruff manner have failed to sway voters turned by rivals’ promises of easy fixes.
The New York Times•Jim Tankersley14h ago
Away from the cameras, the German chancellor can be dry, funny and self-aware. But he rarely shows voters that side of him.
The far-right AfD and the socialist Left Party have grown their vote in recent state elections, while the centrist parties see their support wane. The biggest loser is Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Deutsche Welle22 SeptNach dem Wahlschock steht die politische Reformagenda in Berlin auf dem Prüfstand. CDU-Chef Friedrich Merz rückt scheinbar plötzlich die soziale Gerechtigkeit in den Fokus. Rasmus Buchsteiner ordnet ein, was Phantom-Debatten sind und wie Union und SPD planen, die politische Mitte wieder für sich zurückzugewinnen. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview fordert der niedersächsische CDU-Landesvorsitzende Sebastian Lechner einen Kurswechsel. Er […]
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CDU representatives held a press conference on Monday, September 21, after the party suffered its worst regional election defeat in postwar Germany. Merz called the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a “disaster”, as the CDU fell below the 5% threshold for entering the state parliament. Helmut Schmidt fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the US, Markus Ziener, shares further details.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed Monday to keep his ruling coalition of the centre-right CDU and centre-left SPD together for the sake of the country's "democratic future", after both the far right and hard left made big gains in Germany's state elections on Sunday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CDU representatives held a press conference on Monday, September 21, after the party suffered its worst regional election defeat in postwar Germany. Merz called the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a “disaster”, as the CDU fell below the 5% threshold for entering the state parliament. According to FRANCE 24 Europe editor Armen Georgian, Merz and his party’s Berlin candidate, Stefan Evers, offered no concrete solutions to address the historic defeat, despite pledging to keep the coalition together in the name of a “democratic future.”
Friedrich Merz clinging to power after Christian Democratic Union loses two state elections Europe live – latest updates Germany’s beleaguered leader, Friedrich Merz, has sought to shore up support for his flagging chancellorship among senior members of his conservative party after its drubbing at the polls in two state elections. Merz, who has vowed his fractious coalition government will plough ahead with an unpopular reform agenda, held an early meeting in Berlin with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)’s leadership on Monday. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Kate Connolly in Berlin21 Sept
The far right AfD claims it has become Germany’s new “people’s party”. The statement comes after AfD claimed its second regional election win in as many weeks, ramping up pressure on the poorly performing CDU and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The far-left party also advanced, winning its third regional election thanks to its latest victory in Berlin. Perspective spoke to Hans Stark, professor in contemporary German civilization at Sorbonne University, who said that Merz is now in a very fragile situation, but that there is no obvious candidate to take over from him.
Another electoral setback for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his centre-right CDU performed poorly in two state elections on Sunday. Projections showed the party failing to enter the state parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the far-right AfD came out on top, while the far-left Die Linke led the vote in Berlin. The AfD also made significant gains in both states, building on its recent victory in Saxony-Anhalt. France 24 Europe editor Armen Georgian shares further insights.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke to press just minutes after polls revealed massive CDU losses. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party failed to make the five-percent threshold. In Berlin, where the party had held power, it was thrashed by the Left.
Chancellor acknowledges disastrous state election results but vow to push on is likely to further alienate voters, and his own party Friedrich Merz called it a “disaster”, and that was even before the full scale of the catastrophe for himself and his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came into view after Sunday’s state elections . In what one outlet called a “power move” , the German chancellor made a highly unusual televised speech just minutes after polls closed in the states of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, attempting to get ahead of the narrative with a pledge to stay on and fight for his economic recovery programme . Continue reading...
The Guardian•Deborah Cole in Berlin21 Sept
Another electoral setback for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his centre-right CDU performed poorly in two state elections on Sunday. Projections showed the party failing to enter the state parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the far-right AfD came out on top, while the far-left Die Linke led the vote in Berlin. The AfD also made significant gains in both states, building on its recent victory in Saxony-Anhalt. Nick Rushworth reports.
Germany’s regional elections delivered mixed results for the country’s major parties. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right AfD won the largest share of the vote, but remains isolated as other parties have ruled out coalition talks, leaving incumbent SPD premier Manuela Schwesig with a realistic path to forming a government. In Berlin, meanwhile, the Left Party came out on top and could potentially form a coalition with the Greens and SPD. The CDU, however, performed poorly in both elections, putting additional pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his conservative bloc. Speaking after the results, France 24 correspondent Jörg Taszman reported that Merz said his government would “continue with the reforms” and that “Germany will be better,” urging supporters not to focus only on what has gone wrong.
Sunday's elections in two German states resulted in the defeat of the country's ruling CDU, a result described as a “disaster” by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the northeast of the country, the far-right AfD became the strongest party while the hard-left Die Linke led the polls in Berlin.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under pressure again after his CDU party suffered a disastrous result in Sunday's German state elections, as Ukraine launched its biggest-ever drone strike on Moscow. Today on Europe Today we also cover rising Iran-US tensions and Meloni's burqa ban plan.
Euronews21 Sept
