Merz: Departure for chancellorship or shadow of voter deception?

Merz: Departure for chancellorship or shadow of voter deception?

Friedrich Merz, the 69-year-old new leader of the CDU, is about to be elected as the tenth chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. In the political landscape, the coalition agreement between the CDU and the SPD has now been finalized, which represents a significant step towards Merz's chancellorship. The Bundestag election is expected to take place at the beginning of May 2025, but Merz will take office without a vote of confidence. This is all the more remarkable since surveys rate trust in his chancellorship as low vol.at reported.

Merz also faces growing challenges: the AfD is strengthening its position in the polls, while his own support among the CDU base is considered fragile. He is criticized above all for accommodating the SPD too much in the coalition. His political comeback is special because, after a period in business, he was elected CDU leader in 2022 after failing in 2018 and 2021. Merz's political career began early, and between 1989 and 2009 he was active in various positions, including as opposition leader in the Bundestag and member of the European Parliament.

Coalition agreement with the SPD

The recently concluded coalition agreement is entitled “Responsibility for Germany” and is intended to serve as the basis for an economic recovery ZDF. Merz emphasizes the need for many measures to be aimed at savings. In order to regain the trust of the population, measures are planned to create a new ministry for digitalization and state modernization as well as reforms in the areas of tax cuts and economic strengthening. Limiting migration is also on the agenda.

A particularly important change in migration policy is the abolition of turbo naturalization after three years and the suspension of family reunification for refugees with limited protection status, while the fundamental right to asylum remains untouched. In the area of ​​internal security, the coalition partners are also planning new regulations for the storage of IP addresses by telecommunications providers for three months.

Distribution of ministers and economic prospects

The distribution of ministers shows a clear division of departments between the CDU, SPD and CSU. The CDU receives the Foreign Ministry, the Economics Ministry, the Health Ministry and other important departments, while the SPD occupies the Ministries of Finance, Defense and Justice. CSU boss Markus Söder viewed the agreement as a significant success. However, the reforms sought by Merz are not without challenges, particularly in view of the need for fundamental changes in pension policy, which have only been continued for six years.

Merz has stated that he is not afraid of an SPD finance minister. He assures that financially impactful decisions will be made in the cabinet. This is seen as an important step to promote cooperation between the parties and stabilize the government. Negotiations to approve the coalition agreement between the parties are scheduled to conclude on April 28th and 29th, followed by a signing on April 30th.

The coming weeks will be crucial to see whether Merz and his government can regain the trust of citizens and whether the planned reforms will actually be implemented. The South German newspaper emphasizes that Merz recognizes the coalition agreement as a strong compromise and wants to make significant progress in various areas in order to enable positive economic development.