Overview

• CDU leader Friedrich Merz is under mounting criticism from party members and youth wings over unmet campaign promises and opaque leadership amid stalled coalition talks.
• Rising support for the AfD, now polling nearly equal to CDU/CSU, is intensifying demands for a stronger stance on migration and fiscal policy in the coalition agreement.
• Calls for a party-wide vote on the coalition contract are growing within the CDU, echoing similar moves by the SPD to engage their base in the decision-making process.
• Manuela Schwesig, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s Ministerpräsidentin, has ruled out pursuing SPD leadership, choosing instead to focus on countering the AfD ahead of regional elections.
• Key policy disputes, including a controversial infrastructure fund and migration reform, remain unresolved, with CDU members warning of a potential loss of credibility without significant concessions.