Germany’s governing coalition, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU and including the SPD, met on October 7-8 to reaffirm its reform agenda on economic growth, taxes, pensions, and welfare amid record-low approval ratings and AfD gains in recent state elections. Merz has faced repeated calls for a mid-term leadership change after CDU setbacks in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Berlin during September, which exposed coalition strains and questions about the party’s firewall against the far right. Party state premiers and parliamentary leaders have publicly backed his continuation for now, with no formal challenge or no-confidence vote materializing. Key upcoming tests include December votes in Saxony-Anhalt and ongoing parliamentary debates on reforms that could test coalition cohesion through spring 2027.