Germany: Chancellor Merz sees approval plunge after first 100 days in office

At the end of the first 100 days in office, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is suffering from massive unpopularity, with only 29% of Germans satisfied with his record in government.

The result of the poll by public television ARD, published Thursday, is the worst since Merz took over as head of government.

Since the start of his term in office, the chancellor has toughened immigration policy, moving away from the generous receptionist line pushed by Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015.

In addition to stepping up the expulsion of foreigners, including 81 criminals to Afghanistan, the government decided to contain asylum seekers at the borders. Merz also amended legislation to limit family reunification of foreigners and lengthened the deadlines for access to citizenship.

With these measures, Merz hopes to "recover the confidence" of a conservative electorate jaded by the problems generated by illegal immigration.

Economic difficulties

After two years of recession, mainly related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consecutive rise in energy costs, Europe's first economy is expected to recover this year.

Before taking office, Merz obtained a fund of some $580 billion, at current exchange rates, to modernize infrastructure over 12 years, as well as the flexibilization of strict rules on debt to finance defense efforts.

The chancellor aims for Germany to have the "strongest conventional armed forces in Europe," a turnaround in a deeply pacifist country since the horrors of Nazism.

Merz is also betting on sustainably reviving German growth by stimulating strategic investments. Nevertheless, in the second quarter, Germany's gross domestic product fell by 0.1%, after a 0.3% increase in the first quarter.

For the full year 2025, the IMF is betting on near stagnation (+0.1%).

On the other hand, the tariffs of 15% imposed by the United States on European products since Thursday will cause "significant damage" to the German economy, dependent on its exports, Merz acknowledged.

Tensions in the government coalition

In the first 100 days of government, the coalition of the Conservatives and the Social Democrats registered several conflicts.

The first was over a reduction in the price of energy for private individuals. Another more spectacular conflict occurred at the time of appointing three judges to the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.

A significant number of conservative deputies rejected a candidate, supported by the Social Democrats, as too liberal on the issue of abortion.

Like his failure in the first round of his own election in early May, this setback highlighted the balancing line on which Merz walks.

With only twelve more seats than the majority needed in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, the coalition has little room to maneuver.

Which heralds further conflicts around the 2026 budget.