Chancellor Merz of Germany Watches His Approval Fall To Record Low Of 9%

Yet he vows to continue ignoring the people.

CDU members and the editors of leading publications like Der Spiegel are calling for Merz to resign.

The leading candidate to replace him is the state premier of North Rhineland Westphalia, Hendrik Wuss.

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The unpopular Merz, who had pledged to halve the AfD’s support at the national level, has watched the nativist party rack up electoral gains, none as convincing as its utter rout of the CDU in the eastern region on Sunday with nearly 44% of the vote.

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Merz appeared contrite and willing to work on his “communication” with voters. “This is the worst electoral defeat the [CDU] has suffered in years, in decades,” he said. “Of course this will have to have consequences.” Exit polls indicated the state’s voters were driven by deep dissatisfaction with the political establishment and its stewardship of Europe’s biggest economy, with one showing that only 9% approved of Merz’s performance.

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He also promised to stay the course on Ukraine, stressing he would “not budge a single millimetre from my fundamental conviction that we must defend our freedom against Russia as well”.

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The AfD’s Saxony-Anhalt chapter is listed as “confirmed rightwing extremist” by the domestic intelligence service.

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In the 13 years of the AfD’s existence, the mainstream parties have maintained a “firewall” against the far right, refusing any formal cooperation that would allow it take power. The strategy meant to sideline the party has appeared to backfire, however, as the permanent “outsider” role appeals to legions of voters fed up with politics as usual. The CDU state premier, Sven Schulze, acknowledged his party had “no mandate” to govern given its humiliating 17% result, even if it managed to cobble together an unwieldy coalition with all the other parties in the legislature.

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From The Guardian and npr.

I don't link them.