Eight German state premiers from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) have publicly backed him amid mounting speculation that he could be replaced, both as chancellor and as party leader. The intervention comes as Merz, just 16 months into the job, faces dismal approval ratings and a resurgent far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has fuelled talk of a "Kanzlertausch", or chancellor swap, within his own party.

Speculation intensified after the CDU slumped to a distant second behind the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt's state election earlier in September, where the AfD took 43.8% of the vote against the CDU's 17.2%. A recent Bild poll found just 14% of respondents thought Merz was right for the job. The state leaders argued that stability, not "debates over personnel", was what Germany needed, and Bavarian premier Markus Söder has also voiced support for Merz. Attention now turns to state elections on Sunday in Berlin and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, seen as a further test of Merz's leadership, though no CDU figure has yet openly challenged him despite names such as Söder, Hendrik Wüst and Alexander Dobrindt being floated as potential successors.