Most Germans believe that Chancellor Friedrich Merz's term in office was a failure, reports DPA, citing a survey by the “Ipsos“ institute, News.bg reports.
According to the results, 48% of respondents completely agree with the statement that Merz's government “has failed“, while another 19% tend to agree with it.
The assessment is even more negative in the eastern federal states. There, a total of 80% of respondents say that they completely or tend to agree that the government has failed. In the western states, the figure is 64%.
The survey was conducted online among around 2,000 people across Germany between September 30 and October 4. It comes after three election defeats for Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in eastern Germany last month.
Despite intense pressure and a historically low approval rating, Merz refuses to step down. The chancellor insists that his coalition government with the center-left German Social Democratic Party (SPD), formed after the February 2025 parliamentary elections, will implement the reform program.
The survey results also show that despite Merz's low public support, there is no clear contender in the CDU to replace him.
Among the three leading potential candidates - Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, Interior Minister Alexander Dobringt and North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst - 43% of respondents said they did not think any of them would do better than Merz.