German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing mounting unrest within his party ahead of two regional elections on Sunday, with some insiders warning that more poor results could hasten his departure from office.
Merz has decided to skip next week’s UN General Assembly in New York and hold an emergency party meeting on Sunday evening as he seeks to contain the fallout from expected losses for his Christian Democrats in Berlin and the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.