
AI-generated summary
Merkel and Mertz both belong to the Christian Democratic Union and were once political rivals. Merkel has been chancellor for 16 years, while the government currently led by Mertz has made slow progress on issues such as care, pensions and tax reform.
A latest survey commissioned by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur News Agency and conducted by the polling agency YouGov shows that 48% of Germans believe that former Prime Minister Merkel is better able to respond to and handle the crisis in Germany than the current Prime Minister Mertz. 29% of Germans believe that their abilities to deal with Germany's problems are equally good; only 8% of respondents believe that Mertz is better than Merkel. Another 15% did not answer or said they were unable to express their opinion.
Merkel and Mertz both belong to the center-right Christian Democratic Union, but they were political opponents when they entered politics at the same time: Merkel once dismissed Mertz from office and took over as chairman of the CDU parliamentary group. Merkel served as German Chancellor for 16 years from 2005 to 2021.
The survey comes as Mertz's approval ratings hit rock bottom. The CDU-led government has struggled to resolve a range of issues including care, pensions and tax reform.
The question YouGov asked 2,072 adults on Friday was: "Do you think Merkel is more suitable, less suitable, or equally suitable as chancellor to solve the problems and challenges currently facing Germany than current Chancellor Mertz?"

He Xinchun, the Taichung mayoral candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, held a campaign party in Fengyuan District, where more than 2,000 supporters poured in. Many important figures in the party took the stand. He Xinchun proposed the "three firsts" policy, emphasizing that Taichung will be developed as a capital city, and called on supporters to unite and strive to turn Taichung around.

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The inauguration meeting of the campaign headquarters of DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Boyang was held on Beiping East Road, attracting 120,000 people. Shen Boyang was not only moved to tears during the performance of the Fire Extinguisher Band, but also sang a duet with lead singer Yang Dazheng after the event, fulfilling his previous promise to start singing when the crowd extended to the Zhongshan South Road intersection.

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