Dennis Thering, the CDU leader in Hamburg, has demanded that party chief and Chancellor Friedrich Merz take decisive action following his party’s disappointing performance in the recent state elections. Speaking to the Hamburg broadcaster NDR 90.3, Thering emphasized that Merz must push through planned reforms more strongly as Chancellor, even if it means facing resistance within the coalition.
Thering views the disastrous election outcomes as definitive proof of too much hesitation within the political center. He criticized the Chancellor for failing to assert himself in the coalition, noting that citizens have experienced continuous disputes in the federal government, the watering down of reforms, and a lack of clear direction from the Union. According to Thering, this situation cannot continue. He asserted that if necessary, Merz must make a drastic move and call for a vote of confidence.
The poor performance was evidenced by the election results in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the CDU achieved only 4.9 percent on Sunday, failing to meet the 5-percent threshold for the first time in its electoral history. The party also lost ground in Berlin, where its share of the vote fell from 28 percent to nearly 19 percent.
