Germany news: Merz faces conservative youth wing in Bonn
The increasingly unpopular leader faces dwindling approval ratings and growing dissatisfaction at the Young Union national meeting.
Quick Look
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addresses the CDU/CSU youth wing conference in Bonn amid plunging approval ratings and election setbacks.
- Meanwhile, calls emerge for debt rule easing to fund Ukraine, and police brace for rival AfD and pro-democracy rallies.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces internal party pressure amid falling approval ratings and recent state election losses.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz was in Bonn Saturday to address an annual national meeting of his Christian Democratic and Christian Social Unions' (CDU/CSU) youth wing, the Young Union (Junge Union/JU).
Things were testy the last time Merz addressed the 90,000-member group — when they fought over pension policy— and he will now face them with dwindling approval numbers and growing dissatisfaction over the way he has led Germany and his party.
Merz will greet a youth wing that is self-confident as he himself reels from disastrous election results in recent state and municipal elections.
On Friday, the JU overwhelmingly re-elected Johannes Winkel as their chairman, with the CDU federal parliamentarian taking 94.3% of the vote.
"Our generation still has big plans," said Winkel as he spoke to JU attendees, "and we will be the ones who successfully continue to write the history of the CDU and CSU as a people's party."
On Friday, North Rhine-Westphalia State Premier Hendrik Wüst, a rising star within the party, addressed attendees. On Sunday, Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder will take the stage. Both represent potential replacements for Merz.
Despite the number of prominent party leaders addressing the JU amid talk of Merz's possible political demise, Johannes Winkel vowed: "We're not some applause meter. This isn't a casting show for the chancellorship."
Guten Morgen from the DW news team in gray and blustery Bonn, where, just across the street, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is addressing the Junge Union (JU) youth wing of his CDU and its Bavarian sister party CSU at an annual national conference.
Last time Merz spoke to the group, things got confrontational over pension policy. The chancellor will have a number of thorny issues to navigate this time around, not least whether the party thinks it can survive under his leadership.
As Germany struggles with budget cuts, the country's development minister asked for a debt spending exemption to cover shortfalls in critical funding assistance for Ukraine. Reem Alabali Radovan warned that Ukraine is suffering more death and destruction than ever but "as budget cuts for development assistance continue, we simply will not be able to maintain our support."
In the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, "Generation Deutschland," the youth wing of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), is holding a rally under the motto: "Secure the Future — Safeguard Identity." A "Rally for Democracy" counterdemonstration will also take place. Police say they expect roughly 3,000 participants in all.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Markus Söder will take the stage to address the JU conference on Sunday.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- Will debt borrowing rules be eased for Ukraine funding?
- Can Friedrich Merz retain leadership amid growing party dissatisfaction?
