Merz: ‘I’m staying to safeguard democracy in Germany’. But the SPD is calling for a change of direction

The main aim, however, is to quell the rumours that Merz is becoming increasingly unstable, to the point where there is speculation about him being replaced mid-term – a scenario that has not yet materialised, partly due to the internal power struggle between the ‘colonels’ and the various factions within the CDU-CSU Union. And since the greatest threats come from his own support base, the Chancellor has tried to dispel these shadows – which are, however, too heavy to be dispelled with mere soundbites. ‘There is no debate about my role; the vote goes beyond my person,’ said Merz.

The defeat in Mecklenburg is unprecedented. Never before have the Christian Democrats even come close to being excluded from a regional parliament. The CDU secured just 4.9 per cent of the vote, falling a handful of votes short of the electoral threshold. A second blow, following Saxony-Anhalt. This exclusion is even more bitter than the second-place finish in Berlin, where Die Linke won, but where at least Alternative für Deutschland has, for now, been left behind. Support for the Chancellor was already at an all-time low before Sunday. If the intention of many voters was to ‘teach her a lesson’, rumours of her possible resignation provided yet another reason not to vote for the CDU.

When, even whilst exercising the utmost caution, he reaffirms his commitment “to press ahead with the reforms”, Merz comes up against the fragility of the SPD. The Social Democrats’ leadership, for its part, is facing its own internal challenges, and now has a potentially charismatic and successful leader, Schwesig, to look to as a guiding figure. If things did not go badly in Mecklenburg, it is certainly not down to the leadership in Berlin. And in the capital, the SPD has plummeted to 12 per cent, less than half the votes of Die Linke and trailing even behind the Greens.

The party leadership was therefore forced to agree to call a party conference to discuss the party’s policy direction. But they took their time, postponing it until December. Some members of the executive committee had called for an extraordinary party congress, which could have led to a vote on the two leaders, Klingbeil and the Minister for Labour, Bärbel Bas. In short, there was a risk of a vote of no confidence.

Merz then expressed his dismay at what he described as growing anti-Semitism in Germany, stating that demonstrations against Jews are taking place in Berlin and that the federal government will do everything in its power to protect them. “The fact that the lives of Jews are no longer safe in Germany is the heaviest burden of recent years,” he said.

This also refers to the most extreme factions within Die Linke. “It deeply concerns me to see that this anti-Semitism is met with applause and that sections of our society leave it unchallenged,” added Merz. He then sent a message to the SPD, the Greens and Berlin: “We cannot accept that Jewish life in Germany is no longer safe.” In the capital, a coalition between the CDU, the Greens and the SPD would have the numbers to govern, albeit by a narrow margin.

The woman of the day, Elif Eralp, who led Die Linke to a historic victory in Berlin, is, however, already working to persuade the SPD and the Greens to form a red-red-green coalition. Talks had already begun before the vote. “I also see this result as a triumph of solidarity, diversity and democracy against the shift to the right that we are witnessing in many parts of the country. The people have given me a clear mandate to govern, to replace the CDU and to create a Berlin that looks after everyone,” she said on Monday.

He reiterated that the new government’s priority must be the housing crisis. Die Linke built its victory on this issue and has a radical programme, which calls for the expropriation of large property groups. This proposal fails to convince potential allies and would place a burden of tens of billions on the capital’s finances: Berlin already has the second-highest public debt among the Länder (over 67 billion). “I continue to support this position,” Eralp reiterated.

Merz also commented on this point, emphasising that the Government is ready to table a bill against expropriation. “It is not just a matter of banning something here in Berlin. It is about sending a clear message to international investors: there will be no expropriation in Germany,” he added.