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Merz skips UNGA trip as German state polls intensify pressure at home
Friedrich Merz has cancelled his planned UN General Assembly trip and will stay in Berlin. The move underlines mounting pressure on the chancellor as the AfD looks set to gain in key state polls.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has cancelled his planned trip to the UN General Assembly next week as he comes under growing pressure at home amid a run of difficult state elections. Merz had been expected to speak at the General Assembly next Wednesday, but a government official said on Wednesday that he will not travel to New York.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the trip had not been announced officially, said Merz would stay back because "his presence is required in Berlin". There was no immediate explanation for why he needed to remain in Germany, but the move comes at a tense political moment for the chancellor.
