German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he is determined to push ahead with reforms aimed at a “new beginning” for Germany, responding indirectly to speculation about his possible replacement even without new elections.
“Germany has the strength for a new beginning. And I am personally determined – with all my energy – to make this new beginning possible together with my government,” Merz said at a party event in his hometown of Arnsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, without directly addressing scenarios involving a change of chancellor, which his colleagues have already described as a “naïve idea”.
“I feel the weight of responsibility that comes with this office – especially in times of such deep turmoil. If one were to follow the debates in Germany today, one could get the impression that our country is completely blocked, that it can no longer change through its own efforts, and that its decline is somehow predetermined,” the Chancellor added, pledging to resist this “with all my strength”, despite coalition government challenges.
“In my firm conviction, there is currently no other possible political alliance within the Bundestag. I am not seeking an alternative,” he stressed, also responding to those suggesting the formation of a minority government with parliamentary support from the far right.
In recent days, first Stern magazine and then Bild newspaper reported that, due to the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Merz’s extremely low popularity, scenarios involving his replacement with North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst are being discussed among senior officials of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), possibly even without new elections.
Chancellery circles described such talk as a “dangerous tendency toward political arson” and called the scenarios “crazy speculation”, demonstrating a serious misunderstanding of the constitution and political reality, warning that they are “twice as reckless” given global crises and ultimately benefit the AfD.
Hendrik Wüst, 51, is often described as a potential “stand-in chancellor” and is seen as one of the possible successors to Friedrich Merz as CDU leader.
The rumors were further fueled after Wüst visited Poland last week, bringing along a large delegation of journalists covering central politics in Berlin.
