Germany’s Savior Is Failing His ‘Last Shot’ Mission

Friedrich Merz is a remarkably unpopular chancellor of Germany. According to recent polling, less than a quarter of Germans have a positive opinion of him, and those numbers are dwindling fast. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, least of all Merz. He came to power less than a year ago on a manifesto promising “Political Change for Germany.” Since then, he’s avoided tackling crucial reforms. If he thinks that’s playing it safe, he’s mistaken. Germans voted for change and expect him to deliver.

Voters have known Merz a long time. He’d never held a cabinet position before becoming chancellor, but he was a vocal conservative politician with a reputation for hotheadedness. He represented a counteroffer to a cautious center-left political mainstream. His public role was that of ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s archrival within the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), criticizing her on issues such as asylum and energy policy. When people wanted change after 16 years of Merkel and three years of her “continuity” successor, Olaf Scholz, Merz seemed the man of the hour.