Merz urges Germans to back reforms as coalition struggles to lift mood

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for public support for further reforms as his conservative-led coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) struggles in the polls, DPA reports.

“As chancellor, I can’t simply order people to be in a good mood,” Merz told broadcaster RTL, adding that there were nevertheless reasons for confidence and optimism.

Merz said early signs from the German economy were beginning to move in the right direction, while acknowledging that governing in coalition required compromises and that progress had been slower than he had expected.

Asked about his low popularity ratings compared with his SPD predecessor Olaf Scholz, Merz pointed to the collapse of Scholz’s three-party coalition.

“Olaf Scholz had a government that no longer followed him, and that government failed,” Merz said.

Merz said he wanted his own government to demonstrate that it could perform better.

“I’m trying to keep my government together so that, together, we can achieve the best for this country,” he said.

By Aghakazim Guliyev