Merkel cancels participation in UN General Assembly

German news agency DPA learned on Tuesday from government sources that the Federal Chancellor will not travel to New York next week, contrary to original plans, due to the necessity of his presence in Berlin.

The United Nations had scheduled the Chancellor’s address during the General Debate of the UN General Assembly for late afternoon on Wednesday, three days after the state parliamentary elections in the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin. These elections are considered decisive factors in determining the political future of the German Chancellor, who leads the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Friedrich Merz has been under intense pressure since his party’s catastrophic defeat in the state parliamentary elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday of last week.

The senior bodies of the Christian Union (Merz’s party and its smaller sister party, the Bavarian Christian Social Union) are set to meet next Tuesday, followed by a meeting of the two Christian Union parliamentary groups in the Bundestag the following day, Wednesday.

It is worth noting that the UN General Assembly holds its debates every September. Last year, Merz decided not to participate in the General Assembly’s work, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul delivered Germany’s address at the time. It is highly likely that the same arrangement will be repeated this year.