Sources close to Friedrich Merz have called the idea of changing the German Chancellor "absurd speculation." According to them, such statements indicate a "dangerous tendency toward incitement" and a "striking misunderstanding of the Constitution and political reality." This was reported by the dpa agency, according to UNN.
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Those in Merz's inner circle also emphasized that such rumors play into the hands of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and undermine the authority of the political center amid domestic and global crises. Who could replace Merz
Earlier, Stern magazine and the Bild newspaper reported that the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Friedrich Merz, is discussing his possible replacement even before the end of his term.
According to media reports, likely contenders for the role of "chancellor of change" within the CDU include the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wüst, the Prime Minister of Bavaria Markus Söder, and the leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Jens Spahn. Is the scenario of Merz's resignation realistic
As dpa notes, replacing a sitting chancellor is a complex political move from a constitutional perspective.
In such a scenario, Merz would either have to clear the way for new chancellor elections within the current Bundestag himself or leave office under pressure from influential party colleagues. Then, deputies from the CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) could jointly elect a new chancellor.
However, for the CDU/CSU, such a process would be far from simple. Furthermore, it is unknown whether the SPD would agree to this. Merz's approval rating continues to fall
In the May Deutschlandtrend poll, the approval rating of the German government led by Friedrich Merz dropped to its lowest level since the current coalition took office—86% of Germans stated they were dissatisfied with the cabinet's performance.
Merz's personal approval rating fell to 16%—the lowest figure since he took office as Chancellor of Germany.