Merz returns to Berlin facing CDU dissent, cabinet retreat and state elections

Return from summer break

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz returned to government duties on 23 August 2026 after a 23-day break without public appearances. His recess began on 29 July following a special parliamentary group meeting. During the three-week period, federal business continued with an ad-hoc National Security Council session after an explosive drone incident at Leipzig airport, alongside international discussions regarding Israeli settlement plans in the West Bank. Merz made his first public stop on Saturday in the Eifel municipality of Hürtgenwald, where a forest fire had been extinguished on Thursday, to thank local emergency services.

Without the cooperation between all the different emergency services, including volunteers, that would not have gone so smoothly.

Internal party friction and polling

Merz faces internal CDU division stemming from late July, when the resignation of parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn prompted Merz to execute or initiate eight personnel reshuffles within one and a half weeks. During a contentious CDU executive board meeting, Bremen state party chief Heiko Strohmann challenged the chancellor's top-down management approach.

You are not running a company here, but a party.

Regional leaders have voiced continued dissatisfaction. Rhineland-Palatinate Minister-President Gordon Schnieder, the brother of dismissed federal transport minister Patrick Schnieder, stated that Merz's poorly executed cabinet reshuffle damaged the government's accomplishments in statutory health insurance and pension reform. On Monday, the CDU presidium convenes in Berlin for the first time since the changes took place. Public opinion metrics reflect these political difficulties. According to a YouGov poll conducted for the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 54% of respondents believe Merz will not remain chancellor until the next federal election in 2029. Only 29% expect him to complete the full term, while 17% expressed no opinion.

Neuhardenberg cabinet retreat

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the federal cabinet gathers for a two-day retreat at Schloss Neuhardenberg, located east of Berlin. Merz selected the site after avoiding Schloss Meseberg, which served as the regular retreat venue under former coalitions, and moving away from the Foreign Office's Villa Borsig at Lake Tegel. The conference agenda centres on industrial competitiveness, high-tech manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and defence capabilities. Invited guests include Siemens chief executive Roland Busch, the leadership of Canadian artificial intelligence developer Cohere, and multiple technology startup founders. New coalition disputes have emerged before the retreat, with the Social Democratic Party proposing an amendment to the Basic Law to expand constitutional climate protections.

Regional elections in September

The coalition faces three state elections in September across Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Federal polling places the CDU near the 20% mark, accompanied by low personal approval ratings for Merz. Projections indicate the CDU risks losing minister-president leadership in Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin, and may fall below 10% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, election outcomes where the Alternative for Germany lacks an absolute majority could force CDU state chapters to evaluate cooperation with The Left to assemble non-AfD governing coalitions.