Talks about replacing Prime Minister Mertz grow stronger within Germany's CDU, following the disastrous defeat in the eastern state parliamentary elections

[Berlin Current Affairs] Within the conservative ruling party Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which suffered a crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections for the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt held this month, there is growing talk of replacing the party's leader, Chancellor Merz. Depending on the local elections to be held on the 20th, there is a possibility that his resignation may become inevitable. The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is gaining momentum in the former East Germany, is toying with the ruling party.

Far-right AfD wins overwhelming victory to become the largest party, failing to reach majority, Merz's ruling party suffers crushing defeat - former East German state parliamentary election

Since taking office as prime minister in May last year, Merz has made it his top priority to maintain stable governance and erode AfD's support. However, in the recent state parliamentary elections, the CDU lost more than half its vote share, in contrast to the AfD's landslide victory, approaching an independent majority.

To begin with, the government's approval rating had fallen below 20%, and its unifying force had been significantly diminished, with the party having trouble with personnel changes this summer. With this crushing defeat, the movement to ``remove Mertz'' suddenly came to the fore.

However, the path to a change in prime minister is unclear. Merz emphasizes that he will not back down, saying, ``Give up is not an option.'' In that case, the only option would be for Parliament to issue a ``constructive no-confidence'' vote to select another candidate for prime minister. Meanwhile, on the 16th, the mayors and state premiers of eight cities and states belonging to the CDU issued a joint statement saying they would ``work together with Prime Minister Merz to address these issues.'' This includes the state premier who is being talked about as a candidate for the next prime minister, and it is an attempt to extinguish any talk of replacement.

The political turning point will be parliamentary elections on the 20th in the capital city of Berlin (equal to a state) and the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In both cases, CDU is expected to struggle. Particularly in the former East German state, there is a risk that the CDU will lose no seats at the state level for the first time since its formation.

According to reports, Merz plans to gather party leaders on the night of the 20th and ask them about their beliefs based on the election results. He was scheduled to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, but suddenly canceled his visit to the United States. It appears that he is trying his best to stabilize the party.

The names of the premiers of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia in the west, Bavaria in the south, and Hesse in the center have been floated as candidates for the next prime minister.