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Merz starts with foreign policy success: Germans are optimistic!
Friedrich Merz, newly elected Chancellor, starts a diplomatic tour of visits to Europe. Surveys show positive citizen opinions.
Merz starts with foreign policy success: Germans are optimistic!
Friedrich Merz (CDU) was elected as the new Chancellor in the second round and is sending a strong foreign policy signal right at the beginning of his term in office. In the first few days he undertook a comprehensive tour of visits that included Paris, Warsaw, Brussels and Kiev. Merz attaches particular importance to German-French relations and criticized his predecessor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for his inadequate efforts in this area, especially in his relationship with President Emmanuel Macron. This was viewed differently by the population, as current surveys show.
According to a Forsa survey conducted on May 8th and 9th, 58 percent of Germans rate Merz's diplomatic engagement positively. In particular, 92 percent of Union supporters support his foreign policy initiatives. The majority of SPD and Green voters are also positive: 72 percent of SPD voters and 69 percent of Green supporters support his foreign policy. However, skeptical tones come from the AfD and the Left, where 73 percent of AfD voters and 60 percent of Left supporters doubt his abilities. Especially in East Germany, trust in Merz's abilities is low: only 45 percent believe that he represents Germany well abroad, while 48 percent reject this view.
Public opinion and challenges
However, opinions about Merz are not uniform. 37 percent of those surveyed expressed doubts about his abilities as chancellor, while five percent had no opinion. This mixed picture is particularly relevant since Merz struggled with falling poll numbers before his election. Despite these doubts, there are also positive trends: an Insa survey shows that expectations regarding one's own financial situation have improved slightly under the new coalition. 15 percent of respondents believe their financial situation will improve under Merz - an increase compared to 10 percent in April. At the same time, 43 percent of those surveyed expect economic growth, compared to 33 percent in April.
On the other hand, 47 percent believe that nothing will change in their financial situation, while the proportion who fear it will worsen has fallen from 51 percent to 28 percent. The new federal government is faced with the challenge of turning symbolic politics into concrete action and results. Expectations are high and citizens are looking forward to the coming period while critically observing Merz's first steps as chancellor.