As Merz scrambles for support, Germany's identity crisis is laid bare

A set of bumper local elections has thrown Germany, and its government, off balance.

But this breakdown of business as usual in Germany has been brewing for years.

A confident, powerhouse economy at the cutting edge of car-making? Yesterday's story.

Many Germans I've spoken to feel their nation has drifted away from the things that once anchored their identity.

That uncertainty is currently embodied by a beleaguered chancellor weakened by bruising regional election results.

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has made strong gains in recent local elections

In the last fortnight, Friedrich Merz's party was beaten to first place in Berlin, pummelled in the polls in Saxony-Anhalt and pushed out of parliament altogether in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

But he is on thin ice, with record low approval ratings among voters who often describe him as arrogant and out of touch.

Those who back the Chancellor say it is time to double down on much-needed reforms, alongside its centre-left SPD coalition partner, and find a better way of talking to people.

Hardt pointed out that the CDU/CSU fared far better in other regional elections earlier this year, when we spoke minutes after Merz addressed party lawmakers at a closed-door meeting in the Bundestag.

Merz came to power in 2025, promising to get tough on immigration and boost Germany's ailing economy.

Olaf Scholz and his three-way coalition struggled in power, and he was ousted in 2025