Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared he would not step down following the Christian Democratic Union's (CDU) "disaster" in recent state elections, but pressure is mounting after his approval rating plunged to a record low.

A survey by Germany's public broadcaster ARD revealed on Thursday that only one in ten respondents expressed satisfaction with Merz's performance, marking the lowest figure since the survey's inception in 1997. This decline coincides with significant electoral setbacks for the CDU.

The party failed to secure any seats in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state parliament, falling below the 5 percent threshold for the first time since Germany's federal republic was established in 1949. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as the leading party in that state, capturing over a third of the vote.

Simultaneously, in Berlin's state elections, the CDU experienced another substantial blow, finishing second to The Left party, which garnered 25.7 percent of the vote and is now pursuing coalition partners to form a government. These results follow a similar setback just two weeks prior, when the AfD won the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt with more than 40 percent of the vote, dwarfing the CDU's 17 percent.

Despite potential internal dissent, removing Merz as chancellor presents a constitutional challenge. Germany's Basic Law requires a successor to be elected with an absolute majority simultaneously, a difficult feat in the current political climate. Experts note that the CDU faces a dilemma, being unable to progress effectively with Merz but lacking a clear, appealing alternative.

Merz, a former chairman of BlackRock's German supervisory board, had long aspired to the chancellorship. After being sidelined by former Chancellor Angela Merkel, he made a significant return to politics, assuming office in May 2025.

The recent election results highlight a broader trend of electoral challenges for the CDU, facing strong competition from both the far-right AfD and left-leaning parties across key regions of Germany.

Analysts suggest the party's current position leaves it caught in a difficult strategic quandary, with no easy path forward in the face of declining public support and significant electoral losses.