Germans want a powerful leader

According to Isna, the coalition government of German Chancellor Friedrich Mertes has faced numerous challenges, including internal conflicts, impasse in the passage of bills and declining popularity in polls, only six months after coming to power – conditions that have hampered the government’s efforts to deal with the growth of the extreme right wing.

Euroactive magazine wrote in a report about this: This is a difficult start for the conservative politician who came to power with ambitious promises to revive the stagnant economy, rebuild the worn-out army and toughen immigration policies.

Manfred Gollner, director of the Forsa polling institute, told AFP that in Germany’s post-war politics, “there has never been so much dissatisfaction with a government in such a short period of time.”

According to him, “the hope of many Germans who expected a more assertive leadership after the collapse of the previous government has been dashed.”

Mertes’ centre-right coalition, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany/Christian Social Union, which won the February 2025 election, now finds itself in a tight race with the far-right Alternative for Germany, which was second in the polls and is now the largest opposition party.

The popularity of the centrist coalition of the Social Democratic Party led by former German chancellor Olaf Schultz – the smaller partner of the Mertes coalition – has further declined after a poor performance in the elections and now polls around 13-15 percent of the vote.

“It is clear that many citizens are dissatisfied or disappointed with the work of the government so far,” Roderick Kizoter, a member of parliament from the Christian Democratic Party of Mertes, told AFP.

According to him, “it seems that the government is only focused on immigration and has neglected the economy, education and security.”

The context of escalation of tensions

Tensions between the ruling parties have risen since Mertes failed to be elected chancellor in the first round of parliamentary voting in early May – an unprecedented event in postwar Germany, the paper said.

In July, they failed to agree on the appointment of three judges to the Constitutional Court, because conservatives considered the Social Democratic Party’s candidate too left-wing.

A group of young conservative representatives also strongly criticized the proposed reform of the pension system, which was previously approved by the cabinet. Their argument was that this plan would place a heavy burden on future generations.

Meanwhile, an overhaul of Germany’s conscription system, which was supposed to reflect the country’s leadership in NATO against Russian threats, has stalled over whether to restore a limited form of conscription.

Now, German Foreign Minister Johann Wade Foul, who is close to Mertes, is also facing a wave of criticism from conservatives for expressing doubts about the possibility of returning Syrian refugees living in Germany.

“The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union and the Social Democratic Party will find it more difficult to reach an agreement and compromise given their low level of support after the February polls,” Aiko Wagner, a political science expert at the Free University of Berlin, told AFP.

According to Wagner, both sides fear that if they do, “their standing with the fans will be even weaker.”

Focusing on the issue of immigration in opposition to the right-wing rather than the main concern of voters

In the final part of this article, it was mentioned: the internal challenges of this coalition have made it more difficult for Mertes to deal with the growth of the Alternative Party. He had earlier declared this party as his “main rival” ahead of the upcoming five state elections in 2026.

To counter the rival party, Mertes has used literature on immigration that seems increasingly hard-line. Including a controversial comment in October about the problems of the “German urban landscape”, which was seen as a criticism of the impact of immigrants on cities.

But this angered many social democrats, as well as some moderates in his conservative bloc.

Manfred Gollner argued that Mertes made a “fatal mistake” by focusing so much on immigration when the economy was a concern for many voters.

Meanwhile, the Alternative for Germany party sees Mertes’ problems as an opportunity.

“A significant majority of Germans supported conservative or right-wing parties in the elections,” Sebastian Munzenmeier, a member of parliament from the Alternative for Germany party, told AFP.

But he said Mertes’ coalition with the center-left does not seem to be able to deliver on its promises.

Munzenmeier predicted that the Alternative for Germany would perform strongly in next year’s state elections. He added: “Many believe that at the end of next year, after the elections, the situation will become very difficult for the government in Berlin and the government will fall.”

end of message