Merts' Party Secretary-general Rejected Calls For His Replacement
- 18.09.2026, 14:53
Germany's ruling coalition is showing unity.
The Secretary General of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Franziska Hoppermann has once again ruled out the possibility of replacing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz or his resignation from the post, according to Deutsche Welle.
“He must stay because we need to move forward as a united front,” Hopperman said on the public broadcaster ZDF on the evening of Thursday, September 17.
She emphasized that the ruling coalition has many issues on its agenda that need to be resolved.
“This was already discussed at the cabinet meeting this week, and again yesterday. And that is precisely why he will remain chancellor,” emphasized one of the leaders of the CDU, whose chairman is Merz.
Hoppermann pointed to extremely serious foreign policy challenges, security issues, and a host of domestic political matters that the ruling coalition must address. “Therefore, discussions like these about personnel changes do not help us move forward,” she added.
At the same time, the CDU secretary-general refuted the claim that Merz would remain chancellor, since none of the eight CDU state premiers wanted to take on that role.
She also commented on a recent statement by the CDU state premiers, who expressed support for the chancellor without mentioning his name. The CDU Secretary-General dismissed doubts regarding their position in the debate surrounding Merz.
“There is a chancellor in the Federal Republic, and his name is Friedrich Merz, so there is no need to mention his name,” she said. According to her, the signal itself from the heads of the state governments is what matters. “Right now, it’s about unity and stability, and that is exactly what we have demonstrated as a bloc,” she added.
The debate over confidence in Merz intensified following his party’s major defeat of his party in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt in early September, in which the far-right “Alternative for Germany” won a convincing victory. Among other things, the CDU’s disastrous result in Saxony-Anhalt has put intense pressure on Merz within his party. Speculation has been ongoing for several days about whether he will be able to retain the chancellorship.
After talk began within the CDU about the impending end of Merz’s chancellorship, influential state premiers issued an unusual statement and dismissed speculation about personnel changes.