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Friedrich Merz is the chairman of the CDU. The Politbarometer is a regularly conducted survey of the political mood in Germany.
A few weeks ago, Friedrich Merz was asked about his poor personal approval ratings in the ARD summer interview. “Anyone who expects the country to make changes is of course not initially popular,” replied the Chancellor. But the numbers show: That's not entirely true.
Friedrich Merz has never been a particularly popular politician, but he is becoming less popular every month. According to the last political barometer, his approval rating is only 17 percent - a new negative record. And he's not an outlier.

Thousands of students nationwide protested against the reintroduction of compulsory military service and compulsory military service. The 'School strike against conscription' initiative reported over 45,000 participants in around 100 cities.

The black-red coalition's fuel rebate is met with widespread rejection among independent economists. Critics criticize high costs, deadweight effects for oil companies, redistribution from bottom to top and counterproductive incentives for fuel consumption.
The Federal Council has passed Saxon motions for resolutions to combat financial crime. The aim is to make it easier to confiscate illegally acquired assets by reversing the burden of proof and expanding powers for state authorities.

President Macron plans to have French soldiers protect an oil port in Saudi Arabia. This has met with sharp criticism from the opposition, particularly from Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who fear a renewed wave of protests by the yellow vests.

The Bundestag and Bundesrat have decided on a comprehensive reform of the Federal Police Act. The new powers include real-time facial recognition, AI-powered video analysis, telecommunications surveillance and expanded powers in deportations and controls.
The Neustadt administrative court has dismissed the lawsuits brought by Pirmasens and the Südwestpfalz district against the municipal financial equalization (KFA). The municipalities criticize insufficient funding and are planning to appeal to the Koblenz Higher Administrative Court.