Germany’s Merz girds for a post-election fight for political survival – POLITICO

BERLIN — Chancellor Friedrich Merz is bracing for a fresh barrage of bad news that is expected to intensify questions about his capacity to remain Germany’s leader when results of two regional elections come in on Sunday.

Merz already appears to be preparing for a fight for his political survival ahead of the votes, knowing full well that his chancellorship could rapidly unravel should he fail to rally the increasingly restive rank-and-file of his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) behind him.

That will be no small task following the CDU’s crushing defeat to the far-right Alternative for Germany party in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt earlier this month. The CDU risks another major loss this Sunday in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where according to polls the conservative party is set to suffer its worst defeat in a state or national election in Germany’s post-World War II history.