Merz cancels trip to UN General Assembly
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has scrapped his planned trip to the UN General Assembly in New York next week, as his presence is needed in Berlin amid mounting domestic political pressure. Two more state elections are set for this weekend following a heavy defeat for his party.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has cancelled his planned trip to the UN General Assembly in New York next week. Government sources told the news agency DPA that his presence is currently more urgently needed in Berlin.
Setback in Saxony-Anhalt
The decision follows a damaging result for Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in recent regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, where the right-wing eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) won with 44% of the vote, leaving the CDU far behind.
Two more elections ahead
Pressure on the chancellor is compounded by the fact that voters in two more German states — Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin — head to the polls this Sunday. Forecasts suggest CDU support in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania could fall to a historic low for the party. In Berlin, where the CDU currently leads the governing coalition, its support is running almost neck-and-neck with the left-wing Die Linke party, with both only slightly behind the AfD.
Additional strains
Adding to Merz's difficulties are sharply higher fuel prices, which are straining household budgets for many drivers across the country. At the same time, disagreements have emerged within the governing coalition between Merz's party and its Social Democrat partners over how best to support drivers with limited financial means.
The combination of domestic political pressures appears to have been decisive in the chancellor's decision to remain in Germany during this critical election weekend rather than attend the international gathering in New York.
