German State Premiers Support Merz to Restore Stability in CDU
CDU Leadership Crisis and State Premier Support
Joint Statement from State Premiers
BERLIN, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Eight state premiers from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats backed the embattled leader in a joint statement on Wednesday.
Addressing Speculation Over Merz's Leadership
With the letter, the premiers aim to quell speculation about Merz stepping down early after a major defeat in a state election this month.
Calls for Stability Amid Political Uncertainty
"Now more than ever, Germany's political landscape needs stability," they wrote, pointing to elections in Poland, Italy, Spain, Greece and France next year with uncertain outcomes.
"The path to restoring public trust in Christian Democrats lies in listening and taking political action, not in debates over personnel," they added.
CDU's Response to Election Results
Merz's conservatives have called a special meeting for Sunday to coordinate the party's response to election results in the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, and demonstrate unity behind Merz's leadership, according to a party source.
Signatories and Broader Party Support
Wednesday's letter was signed by the state premiers from Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Thuringia, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin.
All are members of Merz's CDU party.
Support from CDU's Sister Party
Markus Soeder, premier of Bavaria and head of CDU's conservative sister party CSU, has also said he is backing Merz.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, writing by Miranda Murray, editing by Matthias Williams and Thomas Seythal)
