Embattled Merz seeks party backing ahead of fresh election tests in Germany

BERLIN: Germany’s governing conservatives have called a special meeting for Sunday, where senior party figures are expected to discuss recent electoral setbacks and rally behind embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a party source said on Tuesday. Merz is under growing internal criticism following his Christian Democrats’ (CDU) poor performance this month in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came close to securing an outright majority in a state election. PRESSUR