# Eight state leaders back Merz as chancellor faces pressure

> German state premiers rally behind Friedrich Merz after far-right AfD surge raises questions about his leadership.
- Title: Eight state leaders back Merz as chancellor faces pressure
- Summary: German state premiers rally behind Friedrich Merz after far-right AfD surge raises questions about his leadership. Despite poor approval ratings and AfD…
- Keywords: friedrich merz, cdu, christian democratic union, afd, alternative for germany, germany, state elections, saxony-anhalt, berlin, mecklenburg-west pomerania, markus söder, hendrik wüst
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6dj4nn0n97ro
- Published: 2026-09-16T14:50:26.918+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: friedrich merz, cdu, christian democratic union, afd, alternative for germany, germany, state elections, saxony-anhalt, berlin, mecklenburg-west pomerania, markus söder, hendrik wüst
## Eight state leaders back Merz
Leaders of eight German states wrote that restoring trust in the CDU means taking action, not debating personnel changes.
## Just 14% approve of Merz
The chancellor has held office for only 16 months but faces poor approval ratings as the far-right AfD surges in polls.
## AfD wins historic Saxony-Anhalt vote
The AfD shot up to 43.8% while the CDU plummeted to 17.2%, the first time since World War Two a far-right party came close to controlling a German state.
## Merz calls AfD a destructive force
After the loss, Merz described the AfD's migration policy as "ethnic cleansing" of skilled workers. The party filed a defamation complaint.
## Sunday elections test Merz's future
State elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania are seen as a key test, with the AfD poised for further gains and the CDU for losses.
## Potential successors being discussed
No one has challenged Merz yet, but names like Markus Söder, Hendrik Wüst and Alexander Dobrindt are being touted as possible replacements.
## Merz has struggled before
It took him three attempts to become CDU leader and he lost an initial vote to become chancellor despite having sufficient coalition votes.
## Key takeaway

Despite poor approval ratings and AfD gains, CDU state leaders are backing Merz to stay as chancellor, emphasizing stability over personnel changes.