German society remains deeply divided in its assessment of the beginning of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's rule. This is shown by a new sociological survey by the “Jugau“ institute, conducted on behalf of DPA and published today, BTA reports.
According to the results, 35% of respondents define the first days of the new government as “very“ or “rather“ positive. On the other hand, 34% state that they have a “very“ or “rather“ negative assessment. The remaining 31% did not give a specific answer.
Friedrich Merz was elected on May 6 as Germany's tenth chancellor since World War II, but only in a second vote in the Bundestag after failing to secure the required majority on the first attempt. Although he eventually received sufficient support on the same day, it remained unclear which members of the newly formed coalition between his bloc and the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) had initially refused to support him.
The failure cast a shadow over the start of his term and raised questions about the coalition's internal unity - especially at a time when Germany is facing serious challenges, including economic instability.
Although Merz's center-right alliance, made up of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), won the parliamentary elections on February 23, the new chancellor has caused division in society. Many Germans disapprove of his direct and sometimes confrontational style of government, DPA notes.
The “Jugau“ survey was conducted among 2,200 adult German citizens between May 9 and 12.