Eight German state premiers publicly back Chancellor Friedrich Merz amid election setbacks

Eight conservative state leaders from Germany’s Christian Democratic Union released a joint communiqué endorsing Chancellor Friedrich Merz, attempting to quell talk of an early exit after a significant loss in a recent state election. The letter, signed by premiers from Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Thuringia, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin, stresses the need for political stability ahead of upcoming elections in Poland, Italy, Spain, Greece and France.

They argue that restoring public trust requires action, not internal personnel debates. A party source revealed that a special meeting is scheduled for Sunday to coordinate the CDU’s reaction to the results in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin and to demonstrate unity behind Merz. Additionally, Markus Soeder, Bavaria’s premier and head of the CDU’s sister party CSU, has also voiced his support for Merz.