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BERLIN (AFP) — An ally of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned the ruling coalition is facing “brutal polls” as its popularity slides and the far-right gains ground, in an interview published Friday.
“The loss of confidence is significant, expectations are high, and skepticism is high,” Jens Spahn, leader of the parliamentary faction for Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc, said in an interview with Politico.
The coalition with the center-left Social Democrats, known as SPD, has lost popularity in opinion surveys since taking power in early May.
Merz’s conservatives are now neck-and-neck with the far-right Alternative for Germany, at around 25-27%. The SPD, which tumbled to its worst-ever result in February’s election, has slid even further, polling at just 13-15%.
“We win together, we lose together. Right now, we’re losing together — the polls are brutal,” said Spahn, an outspoken conservative who previously served as health minister under former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Merz has vowed to fight the far-right AfD as his “main opponent” ahead of regional elections next year in five of Germany’s 16 federal states, with the far-right appearing poised to make large gains.
Spahn said action during the current legislative period will determine whether the CDU/CSU and the SPD can hold onto their status as Germany’s dominant mainstream parties.
Repeated squabbles within the coalition — including over judicial appointments and whether to bring back military conscription — have hurt the government’s image.
The fights have also endangered Merz’s promises of quick, decisive reforms to turn around Germany’s sputtering economy.
Spahn expressed hope about a return to growth and a change of sentiment among Germans — and argued that the coalition must deliver.
The country has been “in such a gloomy mood for quite some time,” Spahn said. “Even those who are still doing well personally all have the feeling that the best is already behind us.”
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By Agence France-Presse
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