Merz abandons UN trip amid sinking approval – Reuters

The German chancellor is facing calls to resign from within his own party German Chancellor Freidrich Merz has reportedly canceled his planned trip to the UN General Assembly in New York, as his political future hangs in the balance after a landslide loss to the right-wing AfD in state elections.

Merz was scheduled to travel to New York next week, where high-level meetings between world leaders kick off at UN headquarters.

However, a German government source told Reuters on Tuesday that the trip had been canceled, as the chancellor’s “presence is required in Berlin.” According to another source, Merz’ Christian Democrats (CDU) have called a special meeting for Sunday.

The CDU is reeling from its state election loss to the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt last week.

The AfD secured 43.8% of the vote, with the CDU a distant second at 17.2%.

Merz’ party has been trailing the AfD in opinion polls for over a year, and an equally dismal performance is expected in elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin this weekend, where the CDU is polling at 7% and 20%, respectively.

Read more Germany shows where Europe is heading Just over a year into his chancellorship, CDU members and the German public are losing confidence in Merz.

Both Merz and his center-left predecessor, Olaf Scholz, have presided over a country in rapid industrial decline, with Germany’s largest manufacturers – including Volkswagen and BASF – closing plants due to spiraling energy costs, a direct result of Berlin’s self-imposed embargo on Russian oil and gas.

Merz has poured money into an ambitious rearmament program, promising last year to build “the strongest conventional army in Europe.” Meanwhile, ordinary citizens have been told to work more and warned that the “welfare state as we have it today can no longer be financed.” In May, Merz’ government announced new social spending cuts and plans to raise the retirement age from 67 to 70.

Merz loses at home and abroad Over the weekend, an INSA poll found that a majority of CDU voters no longer support the chancellor, while 78% of the general public disapprove of his leadership.

As Merz’ approval rating tanks at home, Germany’s standing at the UN has diminished.

In June, the country lost a bid for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council for the first time in history.

Critics blamed Berlin’s iron-clad support for Israel – with the German government going as far as describing Israeli strikes on Palestinian schools as “self-defense” – coupled with fierce opposition to Russia, a position that appeared hypocritical to the Global South.