BERLIN—Germany’s embattled leader faces an uphill battle to save his government after a historic far-right victory on Sunday that could reshape the country’s political system.
Will the AfD run its first government?
But he signaled he would stay the course on some of his signature policies. The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has criticized Germany’s support for Kyiv and favors stronger ties with Moscow. Despite its victory, the AfD came just short of a majority of seats that would have allowed it to form a state government. As long as no new government is sworn into office, the departing CDU state premier would continue to govern in a caretaker capacity. The SPD is pushing back.
He pledged to deliver on a package of measures aimed at boosting Germany’s struggling economy, and he said his government would be unwavering in its support for Ukraine. So far, no party has said it would accept the offer and these negotiations could take weeks. Lars Klingbeil, the SPD vice chancellor and finance minister, said Monday that the vote was “a signal that we need to think about our policies here in Berlin and about the government’s planned reforms. “It would be a jump into the unknown and a big risk,” said Andreas Rödder, a historian and longtime critic of the arrangement. “But it is the only chance for this government to achieve anything historically significant.”
Its leaders said on Monday they would approach other parties and individual state lawmakers to persuade them to back an AfD-led government.
Why is a vote in a small German state threatening Merz?
More than 80% of voters—and almost 60% of CDU voters—are unhappy with Merz’s work, according to an Infratest dimap poll released last week. His government is one of the least popular in German post-World War II history.
“Precisely because he’s wobbled on so many issues in the past, he can’t afford to waver and show weakness now,” said Sudha David-Wilp, vice president and senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the U.S., a think tank.
