"Only four months after the government took office, satisfaction with the ruling coalition of the center-right Christian Democrats and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and center-left Social Democrats (SPD) has fallen to a record low: In a monthly opinion poll, only 22% of eligible voters said they were satisfied with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government. The Cabinet ministers are now meeting for a closed-door session at Villa Borsig in Berlin to talk about several hot potato issues."
"Merz alienated many of his voters when he quickly relaxed the "debt brake" that limited fresh borrowing to 0.35% of gross domestic product (GDP), which he had vowed to uphold throughout his election campaign. Now, enormous credit-financed sums are available for investment in infrastructure and defense. Yet this came at the expense of Merz's credibility with his voters, and it means that the government faces rising interest payments."
Public satisfaction with the ruling CDU/CSU–SPD coalition fell to 22% four months after taking office. Cabinet ministers are meeting at Villa Borsig in Berlin to address contentious issues. Fiscal policy disputes center on a relaxed 'debt brake' that allows borrowing up to 0.35% of GDP, enabling credit-financed investment in infrastructure and defense but increasing interest payments and eroding Merz's credibility. The CDU/CSU favor austerity to manage rising interest costs. The SPD advocates raising taxes on large wealth, inheritances and income to increase revenue and advance social justice. Conservative willingness to concede on inheritance tax may enable tradeoffs on other policy items.
Read at www.dw.com
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