Merz Cancels UN Trip as CDU Crisis Meeting Looms After 18%-20% Poll Slide
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Sep 15
Merz Cancels UN Trip as CDU Crisis Meeting Looms After 18%-20% Poll Slide
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Sep 15
Summary
Government sources said Friedrich Merz will skip next week’s UN General Assembly in New York because his presence is needed in Berlin as pressure on his leadership intensifies.
September 6 losses in Saxony-Anhalt to the AfD triggered the latest turmoil, and CDU officials now fear the party could even miss the 5% threshold in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s vote this Sunday.
Sunday’s CDU executive meeting is set to assess the election results and could become a test of confidence in Merz, whose standing has weakened inside the party despite public backing from senior allies.
18%-20% national polling for the CDU/CSU and a new survey showing 78% of the public doubt Merz is right for the job have turned a canceled foreign trip into another sign of a chancellor fighting for survival.
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