Support for Merz: CDU Prime Ministers call for stability

The government's work continues. On Wednesday, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) will be in the Federal Chancellery and will present a ten-point plan with increased punishments against Islamist terrorism. It is said to be the federal government's consequence of the attack on Christopher Street Day in Berlin. In these nervous days in Berlin, it is also a sign: problem, solution, laws. Everything normal.

However, how little is normal these days is shown by a statement that was announced almost at the same time as the appearance. In the letter sent to the F.A.Z. the eight Prime Ministers of the CDU emphasize: “People can trust that we will tackle their problems.” And above all: “As Prime Ministers, we want and will make our contribution to this together with the Chancellor.”

In normal times it would be a matter of course that no one would have to say. In these nervous days before the state elections in Berlin and especially Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sunday, it is a moment in which Friedrich Merz can take a deep breath. At least for now. Even if his name is not mentioned in the letter.

For Merz: Berlin instead of New York

The Chancellor has already prepared a lot for an election Sunday that will mean another low blow for his party - in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania the CDU is fighting for its parliamentary existence. On Monday, Merz had invitations sent out to a formal executive committee meeting from 5 p.m. in the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus, and the eight prime ministers are also expected to attend.

On election Sunday in Saxony-Anhalt, on September 6th, there was no formal invitation to the meeting, but only a general one - of the Prime Ministers, only Daniel Günther came. This was followed on Tuesday by the expected cancellation of Merz's trip to the UN General Assembly at the beginning of next week. The Federal Government is hearing that it is clear that the Chancellor's presence in Berlin is necessary these days.

The statement from the Prime Ministers of Kiel, Düsseldorf, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Erfurt, Magdeburg, Dresden and Berlin should help the Chancellor prepare for what threatens after the polling stations are closed. Before the joint statement was announced, the Chancellor had already made it clear at the cabinet meeting what it was about. How international attention was focused on what was happening in Germany. In fact, there is currently no diplomatic reception in the capital where diplomats do not focus on the question: How stable is the federal government?

What happens at less than five percent is uncertain

When the statement was already circulating, people close to the Chancellor said that he welcomed the support of the Prime Minister. In doing so, they demonstrated responsibility for Germany. The current domestic political situation is about stability and credibility in the renewal of the country. Together with the Prime Minister, he is promoting objectivity and citizens' trust in the reform process.

In fact, the letter refutes at least one accusation that was often made in the days of wild replacement and chancellor exchange speculation in Berlin: that no one supports him. Individuals such as North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst, Hesse's Boris Rhein and Bavaria's Markus Söder had already expressed their support. However, Söder expressly only wanted to speak for the CSU. And Merz has been making it clear for days that he needs all of the prime ministers. He had already sought their support after the election defeat in Saxony-Anhalt, and they should also discuss the consequences of the result with Merz at the executive board meeting on Sunday.

On Wednesday morning the wait was over. However, the letter also shows that the prime ministers attach conditions to their support. And you can also hear from the federal states and Berlin that they have priced in a bad result on Sunday. However, it is uncertain what dynamics could be triggered by a failure at the five percent hurdle in Schwerin, which cannot be ruled out. But the election campaign is still ongoing, and the Prime Minister writes: “The path to new trust among people in Christian Democracy lies through listening and political action, not through personnel discussions.”

A clear warning to Merz: no minority government!

In any case, the Prime Minister warns right from the start: “Our country will continue to need a stable and effective federal government with its own majority in the Bundestag in the future.” The rumors about ideas about forming a minority government in the Chancellery in the event of the coalition failing were taken so seriously in some state capitals that they immediately wanted to put a stop to it. Or were they actually afraid of a short-circuit reaction from Merz if the election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania turned out to be catastrophic for the CDU? Under point two, the letter states: “The CDU in Germany is ready to work with all democratic forces.”

According to F.A.Z. information, the idea for the joint statement came about on Monday, as can be heard from the state capitals and Berlin. Gordon Schnieder has taken on the coordinating role. Of all people, the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, who had criticized Merz for his awkward cabinet reshuffle - in which his brother, the then Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder, also lost his office.

But in Mainz too, the current personnel debates before the upcoming elections were perceived as “poison”; they led nowhere. Unity is said to have been achieved “very quickly” between the Prime Ministers. The fact that Merz is not mentioned by name is not seen as a signal in Mainz. There is only one Federal Chancellor, that is Friedrich Merz. And the fact that Söder is not among the signatories can be explained by the fact that he does not belong to the CDU, but to the CSU. According to reports in Berlin, the letter was shown to the Chancellor on Tuesday evening. Shortly beforehand, Schnieder is said to have called him and informed him. Everything back to normal?

At least maybe a little more stable. In the past few days, Friedrich Merz seemed unsettled and attacked. On Tuesday, at a business conference, he powerfully pointed out his policymaking authority. In the evening, at the invitation of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, he said with a view to his reform plans that he only had one vote in the Bundestag. At least he received a lot of applause from the young guests, which was obviously good for him. It gave him “a bit of strength,” said Merz, at a time “that’s not damn easy.”