In a newly released, probably not so surprising poll, merely one in five Germans (21%) views the chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz as trustworthy.
This is a decline of nine percentage points since August and a decrease of three percentage points since January.
He has experienced a significant decline in two other key attributes since January: only 40% of Germans now perceive him as a strong leader, and just 27% feel he understands the concerns of the country’s citizens.
The future chancellor has also lost credibility with his own supporters: only 53% of voters of the centre-right CDU/CSU alliance still consider him trustworthy—eight percentage points less than in January.
The poll gives a damning verdict of a politician who has not even taken up his seat as the next chancellor.
Friedrich Merz has backtracked on a number of his promises since his party’s victory at the national elections in February, including his vow to get tough on migration.
Merz will likely be elected chancellor by the federal parliament on May 6th, and form a government with the Social Democrats.
