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Merz Scraps UN Trip Amid Mounting Pressure at Home
(MENAFN) Chancellor Friedrich Merz has scrapped his scheduled visit to New York for next week's UN General Debate, according to government sources cited Tuesday.
"Contrary to original plans, the chancellor will not travel to New York next week, as his presence in Berlin is required," government circles told a news agency.
The United Nations had slated Merz to address the General Assembly's General Debate on Wednesday — just three days after regional elections take place in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin on Sept. 20.
The timing collides with a packed political calendar: senior figures from Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are set to convene for internal party talks next Monday, followed two days later by a joint parliamentary group meeting between the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU — critical gatherings for a chancellor now facing intense scrutiny in the wake of the state elections.
Poll Shows AfD Surging Past Conservatives
The trip's cancellation lands amid escalating speculation over Merz's political future, fueled by a bruising conservative defeat in Saxony-Anhalt and a fresh nationwide survey showing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) with a commanding lead over his party.
A GMS poll released Monday placed the AfD at a record-high 30% support nationally — a full 10 points clear of Merz's CDU/CSU bloc, which slid to 20%. The Social Democrats (SPD) trailed at 11%. Taken together, the governing coalition would fail to secure a parliamentary majority if elections were held today.
That represents a dramatic reversal from the Feb. 23, 2025, federal election results, when the CDU/CSU captured 28.5% of the vote against the AfD's 20.8%.
State Elections Loom as Critical Test
The poll's release comes just days ahead of Sunday's regional elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin, contests now viewed as a fresh referendum on Merz's leadership following the AfD's commanding 43.8% victory in Saxony-Anhalt on Sept. 6 — a vote that saw the CDU collapse to a record-low 17.2% in that eastern state.
Weeks of speculation have swirled around a potential leadership change within the party, with North Rhine-Westphalia Premier Hendrik Wuest emerging as a name floated as a possible CDU successor.
Even so, an internal leadership battle following the state elections would not automatically trigger the dissolution of Germany's parliament or force a snap national election. Should internal party pressure force Merz from office, lawmakers could instead elect a new chancellor without going to national voters.
"Contrary to original plans, the chancellor will not travel to New York next week, as his presence in Berlin is required," government circles told a news agency.
The United Nations had slated Merz to address the General Assembly's General Debate on Wednesday — just three days after regional elections take place in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin on Sept. 20.
The timing collides with a packed political calendar: senior figures from Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are set to convene for internal party talks next Monday, followed two days later by a joint parliamentary group meeting between the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU — critical gatherings for a chancellor now facing intense scrutiny in the wake of the state elections.
Poll Shows AfD Surging Past Conservatives
The trip's cancellation lands amid escalating speculation over Merz's political future, fueled by a bruising conservative defeat in Saxony-Anhalt and a fresh nationwide survey showing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) with a commanding lead over his party.
A GMS poll released Monday placed the AfD at a record-high 30% support nationally — a full 10 points clear of Merz's CDU/CSU bloc, which slid to 20%. The Social Democrats (SPD) trailed at 11%. Taken together, the governing coalition would fail to secure a parliamentary majority if elections were held today.
That represents a dramatic reversal from the Feb. 23, 2025, federal election results, when the CDU/CSU captured 28.5% of the vote against the AfD's 20.8%.
State Elections Loom as Critical Test
The poll's release comes just days ahead of Sunday's regional elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin, contests now viewed as a fresh referendum on Merz's leadership following the AfD's commanding 43.8% victory in Saxony-Anhalt on Sept. 6 — a vote that saw the CDU collapse to a record-low 17.2% in that eastern state.
Weeks of speculation have swirled around a potential leadership change within the party, with North Rhine-Westphalia Premier Hendrik Wuest emerging as a name floated as a possible CDU successor.
Even so, an internal leadership battle following the state elections would not automatically trigger the dissolution of Germany's parliament or force a snap national election. Should internal party pressure force Merz from office, lawmakers could instead elect a new chancellor without going to national voters.
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