Hannibal Hanschke / EPA
Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany
Germany was left out of the UN Security Council, which is not a detail. It’s another image that starts to crumble.
The news was in Portugal, for obvious reasons: one of the non-permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations (HER) it will be Portugal.
The same news was highlighted in Germany, also for obvious reasons: for the first time, Germany was fora these list.
Among the reactions to this historic defeat for German politics, the words of Agnieszka Brugger, deputy leader of the Greens party, summarized: “This embarrassing defeat from Germany goes to curriculum from the chancellor Merz and (Foreign Affairs) Minister Wadephul.”
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has publicly announced that he would give Germany another strength on the international stage, in a return to the top of decision-making.
“This result does not change the tasks we face at the United Nations. Germany continues to be a reliable pillar of the multilateral system. We assume this responsibility with determination”, reacted Friedrich Merz.
This setback makes crumble (also) yours image, its capacity for external affairs. And it is just the most recent of several setbacks that have affected the leader of the German Government.
The newspaper warns: with this defeat at the UN, Merz’s position as chancellor is at risk.
It was a kind of final straw, in a gradual loss of political authority, marked by unfulfilled promises, internal conflicts in the coalition that forms the Government and a growing distrust of public opinion.
Now, Friedrich Merz crosses the most delicate phase of his mandate since assuming the Government of Germany.
Elected with the promise of relaunching the German economy and returning stability to the country, Merz saw his initial enthusiasm give way to skepticism.
The much announced economic recovery takes time to materialize, weakening the main political argument that supported his rise to power: putting Germany back at the top of the European economy.
As polls reflect this wear. Merz’s approval levels have fallen to historic lows, while a large majority of Germans express dissatisfaction with the Executive’s actions.
Last week, even before this UN election, he already wrote that the lack of popularity around Friedrich Merz was already causing discussions about the search for a new chancellor.
There is also a growing perception that the coalition government (CDU and SPD) faces difficulties to present a coherent and lasting strategy.
A communication of the chancellor is often highlighted as one of the weak points, sometimes conveying the idea of a lack of direction or an inability to transform political announcements into tangible results.
Critics point to the internal divisions in the coalition, the growth of the AfD in the polls (ahead of the CDU, in several), for the economy, the inflation energy and the Chinese competition, that threaten entire sectors of the industry German.
In September there will be three regional elections. We wait for the result of the CDU – and the AfD.
For now, no politician has “stepped forward” to present themselves as an alternative to Merz. The name that has been mentioned most is that of Hendrik Wüst, minister-president in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state in Germany. But the (popular) Wüst puts himself out of that possible race, for now. They are “unbridled fantasies”, you hear on the radio.
