Support crumbles, public and Union doubt Merz

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Latest developments with sources

15.09. 23:07
Roland Koch, former CDU health minister, declares publicly that there is no better Chancellor than Merz and warns against a chancellor swap.

BILD
15.09. 18:57
Support for Chancellor Merz within the CDU is crumbling. One faction emphasises the poor mood, another argues that a chancellor swap would not solve any problems, while potential successors hold back.

tagesschau
15.09. 14:01
In the RTL/ntv-Trendbarometer, the CDU/CSU falls to 20 percent, its lowest value in five years, while Chancellor Merz continues to lose personal popularity.

n-tv
15.09. 13:56
Chancellor Merz invites the CDU leadership at short notice to a meeting on the election night of the state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (16 September) in Berlin, which is interpreted as a signal of an expected clear party reaction after the elections.

n-tv
12.09. 18:55
According to an INSA poll, 78 percent of those surveyed reject Friedrich Merz as Chancellor, including a majority of voters from their own Union parties.

WELT

Summary

Support for Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under considerable pressure. According to an INSA poll, 78 per cent of respondents no longer see Merz as the right chancellor, with even many Union voters rejecting him by a majority ¹. In the RTL/ntv trend barometer CDU/CSU falls to 20 per cent, reaching a five-year low, while dissatisfaction is particularly evident in assessments of the chancellor as a person ⁸. Berliner Morgenpost speaks of a 'tottering chancellor' and lists what it sees as the seven biggest problems ²³. New polling setbacks for the CDU and Merz are also being reported from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ²⁹.

According to INSA data analysis as evaluated by BILD, if Merz were to fall many constituencies would potentially be winnable by the AfD ⁷. A report by T-Online from the East election campaign in early September paints a distant picture of the chancellor's relationship with voters on the ground ³⁰.

Elections as a turning point for Merz

State elections will take place in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern this coming Sunday ⁴. Merz has summoned the CDU federal board to Berlin for election night, which is interpreted as a sign of an expected clear party reaction following the elections ⁹. Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that the Union is preparing for "the worst" in light of alarming polls ⁶. The ZDF report raises the question of whether election Sunday itself will bring a decision about the chancellor's future, and points to scenarios that have been circulating for weeks such as coup, chancellor swap or confidence vote ⁴.

Ntv outlines five scenarios for a possible chancellor swap ²⁰, Berliner Zeitung speaks of a showdown and names six discussed potential successors ²¹, and wort.lu describes the situation as "six days in which Merz is a chancellor on standby" ²⁷.

Support within the CDU has eroded

Within the CDU support for Merz is crumbling, as the Tagesschau describes in an analysis. One faction emphasizes the poor mood, another argues that a Chancellor swap would solve no problems. Open criticism remains largely anonymous, and potential successors hold back ². The FAZ reports under the headline "Brutal, the way Merz is discussed" of rapidly shifting power dynamics and a stalled Chancellor along with his party ¹⁶. In another FAZ commentary on the so-called Stumpp farce, a loss of authority of the Chancellor is diagnosed even from his own party ²⁸.

RP Online speaks of the fact that the Chancellor is being undermined ²⁵. According to a STERN report, Saxony-Anhalt's Minister-President Reiner Haseloff recommends to Merz an "empathetic address" ²⁶.

Merz receives backing from Roland Koch, who publicly declares there is no better Chancellor than Merz and warns against a Chancellor swap ¹⁸. A report in the Berliner Zeitung speaks to the contrary, suggesting Merz is apparently preparing a withdrawal ²¹.

Coalition is fundamentally shaken

Die Zeit takes a more fundamental view. The chancellor and the coalition are in question. An end to the black-red coalition would not mean the end of democracy. Lessons for a fresh start could already be drawn now ¹⁵. The NZZ, classified as Western liberal, concludes that the CDU and Merz have "only poor options left" ²⁴. Süddeutsche Zeitung asks in its podcast whether Merz will survive the coming election Sunday and points to threatened losses in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ¹⁷. BILD-Zeitung, classified as boulevard with conservative leanings, discusses in a vodcast the political consequences of a possible chancellor's fall ⁷.

As a counterpoint to predominantly critical reporting, ntv reports that Merz received applause at a discussion event with young people in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg ¹⁹. Entertainer Harald Schmidt evaluates the criticism of Merz in an article in Berliner Zeitung as "petty" and hopes that the chancellor will get through the legislative period ²². News.de reports that the CDU is considering a "coalition collapse as a last resort", but this representation does not appear in the other available sources in this form ¹².

Merz announces relief measures

Shortly before the state elections, Merz announces according to Süddeutsche Zeitung relief on fuel prices and also cancels his USA trip planned for the coming week ⁶. The fact check rates the cancellation of the USA trip as well as the announced fuel price relief as not yet independently confirmed.

Sources analysed for this situation, by number of news items

49 news items from 25 sources

Web 25DE 49

This overview shows which sources the Monitor analysed for this situation. Being listed is neither an assessment nor an endorsement.

WebBerliner Morgenpost DE 7

News items from this source (7) news.google.com

14/09/2026 18:35 Der taumelnde Kanzler: Das sind die sieben größten Probleme des Friedrich Merz - Berliner Morgenpost
08/09/2026 14:48 Angeschlagener Kanzler: Europa droht jetzt ein Merz-Problem - Berliner Morgenpost
25/08/2026 09:00 Söder nicht mehr beliebtester CSU‑Politiker – Kanzler Merz weit abgeschlagen - Berliner Morgenpost
24/08/2026 09:00 Mittelstand attackiert Kanzler Merz: „Fehlt an Führungsprofil“ - Berliner Morgenpost
23/08/2026 09:00 Diese Umfrage zeigt, wie schlimm es wirklich um Friedrich Merz steht - Berliner Morgenpost
15/08/2026 09:00 Aktuelle Umfrage: Union erreicht Fünf-Jahres-Tief – Merz unbeliebt wie nie - Berliner Morgenpost
01/06/2026 09:00 Wüst statt Merz? Umfrage zeigt, wie die Deutschen zum Kanzlertausch stehen - Berliner Morgenpost

WebWELT DE 5

News items from this source (5) news.google.com

12/09/2026 18:55 Insa-Umfrage: Selbst viele Unionswähler gegen Merz – 78 Prozent sehen ihn nicht mehr als den richtigen Kanzler - WELT
03/08/2026 09:00 „Ich bin fest überzeugt, dass er Kanzler bleibt“ – Söder stellt sich hinter Merz - WELT
28/06/2026 09:00 Manfred Güllner: Forsa-Chef kritisiert Merz – „Als Kanzler macht er viel falsch“ - WELT
13/05/2026 09:00 Umfrage: Die überraschende Antwort auf die Frage, wo die Merz-Wähler heute sind - WELT
30/04/2026 09:00 Umfrage: Merz stürzt ab – und landet erstmals im Insa-Politikerranking auf dem letzten Platz - WELT

Webn-tv Politik DE 4

News items from this source (4) www.n-tv.de

15/09/2026 20:43 Diskussion in Prenzlauer Berg: In diesem Keller bekommt Merz noch Applaus
15/09/2026 19:41 Merz in Bedrängnis: Fünf Szenarien für einen Kanzlertausch
15/09/2026 14:01 RTL/ntv-Trendbarometer: Union fällt auf Fünf-Jahres-Tiefstwert - Merz unbeliebter denn je
15/09/2026 13:56 Diesmal mit mehr Nachdruck: Merz lädt CDU-Spitze zu Sitzung am Wahlabend ein

WebT-Online DE 4

News items from this source (4) news.google.com

15/09/2026 16:00 Kanzler im Umfragetief: Merz ruft Bundesvorstand für Wahlabend zusammen - T-Online
12/09/2026 18:29 Friedrich Merz: Selbst Unionswähler lehnen ihn mehrheitlich als Kanzler ab - T-Online
09/09/2026 14:03 Langjähriges CDU-Mitglied Michel Friedman: Merz als Kanzler ungeeignet - T-Online
01/09/2026 09:00 Menschlicher Kontakt? Nicht vorgesehen – Kanzler Merz im Ost-Wahlkampf - T-Online

WebBILD - Home DE 2

News items from this source (2) www.bild.de

15/09/2026 23:07 Roland Koch prescht vor - Es gibt „keinen besseren Kanzler“ als Merz
15/09/2026 21:43 Der Politik-Vodcast - Vertraulich! „Die Karte, die den Kanzlersturz verhindert“

Webtagesschau DE 2

News items from this source (2) www.tagesschau.de

15/09/2026 18:57 Merz-Rückhalt in der Union bröckelt: Geteilte Stimmungslage
15/09/2026 11:02 Unruhe in der Union: Kritik an Kanzler Merz wächst

WebBerliner Zeitung DE 2

News items from this source (2) www.berliner-zeitung.de

15/09/2026 17:27 Merz bereitet wohl Rückzug vor: Am Wahlsonntag kommt es bei der CDU zum Showdown
15/09/2026 11:54 Harald Schmidt über die Kritik an Friedrich Merz: „Das ist so kleinkariert“

WebSüddeutsche DE 2

News items from this source (2) www.sueddeutsche.de

15/09/2026 16:35 Podcast: „Auf den Punkt“: Übersteht Kanzler Merz den kommenden Wahlsonntag?
15/09/2026 15:11 CDU: Die Union bereitet sich auf das Schlimmste vor

WebRP Online DE 2

News items from this source (2) news.google.com

13/09/2026 12:21 Druck auf Merz: Am Kanzler wird gesägt – Union vor dem Showdown? - RP Online
07/09/2026 17:12 Der Kanzler wackelt: Merz muss die Union jetzt retten – oder den Weg freimachen - RP Online

WebNews.de DE 2

News items from this source (2) news.google.com

WebFAZ DE 2

News items from this source (2) www.faz.net

12/09/2026 07:47 CDU und CSU: Brutal, wie über Merz geredet wird
11/09/2026 19:41 Merz und die CDU: Die Stumpp-Farce ist Ausdruck einer respektlosen Partei

WebWatson DE 2

News items from this source (2) news.google.com

10/09/2026 16:55 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Neuer Umfragedämpfer für deutsche CDU und Merz - Watson
18/05/2026 09:00 Friedrich Merz ist der unbeliebteste Kanzler jemals – daran liegt es - Watson

WebZeit DE 1

News items from this source (1) www.zeit.de

15/09/2026 19:04 Demokratie: Ab Sonntag wackelt alles

WebSTERN.de DE 1