"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."
"When it comes to fiscal policy, there are a whole host of contentious issues, beginning with the national budget. 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."
Public satisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition has dropped to 22% four months after taking office. Cabinet ministers are meeting behind closed doors at Villa Borsig in Berlin to address multiple contentious issues. The national budget is strained after Merz relaxed the "debt brake", allowing fresh borrowing up to 0.35% of GDP and enabling large credit-financed investments in infrastructure and defense. The borrowing increases interest-payment obligations and damaged Merz's credibility with his voters. The CDU/CSU push for austerity while the SPD favors raising taxes to increase revenue. The SPD targets higher taxation on wealth, inheritances and income for revenue and social justice, and the CDU/CSU have signaled possible concessions on inheritance tax, suggesting potential tradeoffs on policies such as citizen's income.
Read at www.dw.com
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