By Michael Nienaber | Updated on Oct 08, 2026 at 09:32 AM
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition agreed to grind ahead in its effort to push through a raft of reforms as the parties struggle to bridge differences in the face of plummeting public support.
Merz’s Christian Democratic-led bloc and the Social Democrats held a “positive and constructive” meeting late Wednesday in the Federal Chancellery in Berlin, according to a text message sent from parliamentary caucus leaders to lawmakers after the talks.
“The coalition agrees that economic growth, secure jobs and social cohesion must be at the heart of its agenda going forward,” read the message, which was obtained by Bloomberg. “The coalition committee therefore discussed all current issues with the aim of swiftly bringing the related initiatives to completion.”
Merz’s support has cratered as his government fails to gain traction with the public and a series of state elections last month showed stunning gains for the far right. The German leader is trying to hold his coalition together and gain trust with a raft of reforms seeking to overhaul Germany’s pension system and long-term care and implement an income-tax cut.
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The chancellor said on Wednesday that the governing coalition was grappling with “a constant and extremely demanding task,” adding that comprehensive pension changes will be debated in parliament into next year and be finalized by spring as the government struggles to push it forward.
Tension between the governing parties was compounded after the far-right Alternative for Germany secured a majority for a parliamentary speaker post in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on Tuesday with a handful of votes from outside its fold. The Social Democrats have said Merz’s party needs to explain the parliamentary maneuvering amid indications that CDU lawmakers supported the AfD parliamentary speaker.
“We’re conscious of the fact that our democracy is currently facing a historic test,” the message said. “We are firmly determined not to leave our country to the extremists.”