– “We do not want to abolish it, we do not want to dismantle it,” said Mr. Merz. “But we want to preserve its most important aspects, and that means we must reform it.”
This may not bode well, given that Mr. Merz himself admitted negotiations could last for up to a year. He put it quite plainly:
The coalition is likely to reach agreement on reform proposals “within a year.
For many voters, this only proves that Mr. Merz is seeking to accommodate the left, and that Germany in effect has a left-wing government, despite the majority of Germans voting for the right.
Friedrich Merz is in a difficult position
The public dispute comes at a dangerous moment for Mr. Merz. His home state of North Rhine-Westphalia holds key local elections on 14 September, while support for the right-wing AfD has risen. Within the CDU, there is growing fear that voters may punish them if they are seen to be backing tax increases.
As the conservative Tichys Einblick notes:
Since being elected chancellor, Mr. Merz has been known across the country as a turncoat who promises A and then delivers B. It is no coincidence that since his narrow second-round victory, he has been regarded as the chancellor of broken election promises and broken CDU hearts.
One of the latest opinion polls, the INSA survey conducted for the daily Bild, also shows that
57 percent of German voters are dissatisfied with Chancellor Merz’s performance.
Moreover, with elections approaching in North Rhine-Westphalia, pressure on the chancellor is intensifying, as the same survey indicates that the AfD is now polling at the same level as the CDU/CSU.
Cover photo: Germn Chancellor Frierich Merz (Photo: AFP)
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