German Chancellor Merz cancels UN General Assembly trip to face domestic party crisis

Trip cancellation and United Nations representation

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has cancelled his planned trip to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly next week. Government officials confirmed that the 70-year-old leader will remain in the German capital to address pressing domestic political challenges following poor electoral outcomes. Merz had been scheduled to deliver an address during the general debate of the UN General Assembly on the late afternoon of Wednesday, 23 September 2026. Instead, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will represent the country in New York, taking over parts of the chancellor's planned itinerary and speaking before the assembly at a later protocol slot.

Contrary to original plans, the Federal Chancellor will not travel to New York next week, as his presence is required in Berlin.

Regional elections and party pressure

The decision to cancel the overseas visit follows an electoral defeat for Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the state of Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September 2026. The political stakes will heighten on Sunday, 20 September 2026, when voters head to the polls for two regional elections in the federal capital of Berlin and the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Recent polling indicates that Merz's personal approval rating has dropped to 10%, a three-point decline from the previous week. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, surveys place CDU support at 7%, raising concerns within the party that it could fall below the 5% electoral threshold required to win seats in a state parliament. In Berlin, the CDU risks losing the mayor's office that it has held since 2023, where it is currently tied in polling with the Left party and slightly ahead of the AfD.

Leadership schedule and coalition disputes

Party critics have called for Merz to resign if the CDU suffers another defeat or fails to clear the 5% threshold on Sunday. In response to the crisis, Merz has organized several internal leadership meetings to secure his political standing across party factions. The chancellor called a CDU presidium meeting on Sunday evening, where state premier colleagues are expected to back his leadership.

On Monday, 21 September 2026, the executive committee and federal presidium of the CDU will convene in Berlin, followed by a meeting of the joint CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag on Tuesday, 22 September 2026. The domestic strain also affects the federal governing coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). While the coalition agreed in July 2026 on reforms covering taxes, pensions, and the labor market, those measures still await parliamentary debate, and some SPD figures have called for reconsidering the package.

Diplomatic record and past absences

The New York cancellation marks the second consecutive year that Merz has declined to attend the UN General Assembly since taking office 16 months ago. In September 2025, Merz also skipped the annual gathering because of disputes inside the governing coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD, sending Wadephul to speak on Germany's behalf.

Although Merz has traveled to the United States three times during his 16 months as chancellor, he has not yet visited the UN headquarters. The cancellation comes after Germany failed in its bid to secure a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in a vote among 191 member states on 3 June 2026, an outcome that critics previously linked to delayed and insufficient diplomatic engagement by the federal government.