The situation is so serious that he canceled a planned trip to New York next week to represent his country at the United Nations General Assembly.
asserted
he → cancel → Assembly
Merz, a conservative, is facing tremendous pressure in the wake of the
in Saxony-Anhalt last week.
asserted
Merz → face → Anhalt
Their success, fueled by frustration among many Germans about the impact of immigration, came at the expense of Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
asserted
success → fuel → party
It has accelerated a monthslong trend that spells trouble for the center-right leader of Europe's biggest economy.
asserted
that → accelerate → economy
Merz's poll ratings have fallen sharply.
asserted
ratings → fall → ?
His government is grappling with a weak economy, and many voters who had hoped the former corporate executive would fix that have become disillusioned with delays in implementing financial and tax reforms.
asserted
executive → grapple → reforms
The pressure has raised a once-unthinkable question in Berlin: Could Merz be forced out as chancellor before the end of his term?
uncertain
Merz → raise → term
The chancellor's crisis goes beyond poor polling, veteran journalist Kerstin Münstermann told CBS News.
asserted
Münstermann → go → News
"We are witnessing a genuine crisis of authority and leadership within the CDU," said Münstermann, who has covered Merz's career closely as a member of the regional Rheinische Post's editorial board and head of its Berlin parliamentary bureau.
asserted
who → witness → bureau
When Merz
, many Germans saw him, above all else, as someone who could help revive the flagging economy.
uncertain
who → see → economy
The former corporate lawyer and board member had worked for years to position himself as a strong economic hand to take the reins from Angela Merkel and her successor Olaf Scholz.
asserted
lawyer → work → Merkel
But "the situation for people has not noticeably improved," Münstermann told CBS News.
asserted
Münstermann → improve → News
"If anything, it has gotten worse."
asserted
it → get → ?
The economic upturn promised by Merz has, undeniably, not materialized.
asserted
upturn → promise → Merz
While Germany is again seeing moderate growth, the labor market deteriorated last year.
asserted
market → see → growth
Demand for labor remains weak, according to the Federal Employment Agency.
uncertain
Demand → remain → Agency
AfD's rise fueled by immigration concerns
One of the key issues underlying Merz's political crisis is immigration.
asserted
One → fuel → crisis
Concerns about the number of and integration of migrants have shaped the political debate for years in Germany, like many European nations, and they were the key factor in the AfD's landslide state election victory this month in Saxony-Anhalt.
asserted
they → shape → Anhalt
A resounding 91% of AfD supporters in the state voiced fear of a potential new influx of foreigners, according to an analysis by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, while 85% said they were concerned about immigration causing too much change within German society.
uncertain
immigration → voice → society
Merz has attempted to tighten Germany's migration policies.
asserted
Merz → attempt → policies
Just this week the federal government adopted a new 10-point plan to combat Islamist terrorism.
asserted
government → adopt → terrorism
Among other things, it provides for stricter surveillance of certain individuals deemed to pose a threat, tougher penalties for spreading terrorist propaganda and amendments to criminal law.
asserted
it → provide → law
But the pressure on Merz and his party, as the far-right gains ground by focusing almost entirely on the issue, keeps rising, exacerbated by recent
.With the new measures, the government is trying to show it can and is taking concrete action on the issue.
asserted
it → gain → issue
Whether it will be enough to win back voters who have turned to the AfD will become clearer with every new local and state election.
asserted
who → win → election
"Now he's fighting"
asserted
he → fight → ?
Merz plans to convene his party's leadership Sunday in Berlin.
asserted
Merz → plan → Berlin
If the results for the CDU are as disastrous as they were in Saxony-Anhalt, he will likely face some very tough questions about his leadership and the party's future.
asserted
he → face → leadership
The chancellor has realized how serious the situation is, Münstermann said, and "now he's fighting."
asserted
he → realize → ?
The CDU, which has run Germany's government off and on for the vast majority of its post-World War II history, is facing a major internal debate due to the AfD momentum.
asserted
which → run → momentum
The party has always ruled out any cooperation with the far-right — refusing to consider entering into a coalition government with the AfD or using votes from its lawmakers to get legislation passed.
asserted
legislation → rule → lawmakers
That political red line, which all other major German parties also stand behind, is commonly referred to in the country as a "firewall."
asserted
parties → stand → firewall
But as the AfD gains clout through regional elections, the debate within the CDU over exactly how impermeable that firewall should be is also intensifying.
asserted
firewall → gain → CDU
Some CDU politicians remain adamantly against any cooperation with the AfD.
asserted
politicians → remain → AfD.
Others now question whether the party should, at least on individual policy initiatives, accept a majority vote in the parliament that can only be achieved with AfD votes.
asserted
that → question → votes
Münstermann said the issue could deeply divide the CDU, but she believes Merz himself is "very clear on this," and unlikely to change his position against working with the AfD. Doing so, she said, could lose him the support of moderate party figures who've continued to back him.
Could Merz be forced out?
Germany's constitution makes it difficult to remove a chancellor from office — they cannot simply be replaced by another politician from the same party, even if there is broad consensus within that party.
The parliament, or Bundestag, can oust Merz only through what is known as a constructive vote of no confidence.
uncertain
what → say → confidence
The bar is high, as it requires a majority of all members of the Bundestag to vote not only to reject the sitting leader, but also to agree on a single replacement at the same time.
asserted
it → require → time
It has happened only once, in 1982.
asserted
It → happen → 1982
Merz could ask the Bundestag to formally express its confidence in him.
uncertain
Merz → ask → him
If he failed to win a majority, he could ask Germany's president to dissolve the parliament, which would potentially pave the way for new national elections.
uncertain
which → fail → elections
Münstermann does not consider either scenario likely in the near future.
asserted
scenario → consider → future
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
