A crucial pensions vote today could torpedo Germany’s government, encapsulating the myriad challenges facing the country’s embattled leader.
Friedrich Merz came to power aiming to toughen Germany’s defense industry, revitalize its economy, and fend off the rise of the far right. But a series of controversies and limited results from increased government spending have dragged on his poll ratings; his coalition partner has suggested the ruling alliance could collapse.
Even if the measure passes, Merz must still grapple with languid economic growth, tensions with the US, trade threats from China, and fears of Russian aggression. “The winter is coming and Germany is engulfed in a gloomy fog,” the historian Adam Tooze wrote. “The mood is one of polygloom.”