The ruling party in Germany, CDU, has begun closed discussions about a possible replacement of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to the German publication Bild.

According to the publication, CDU politicians are discussing the situation in small closed chats and are afraid of leaks to the press. This may indicate that there is dissatisfaction with Merz's policy within the party.

Possible Successors to Merz

Possible successors to Merz include the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, the head of Hesse, Boris Rhein, and the Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer. All of them are members of the CDU and have significant political experience.

The Chancellor can be removed from office through a vote of no confidence in the Bundestag. However, this requires a majority of votes from deputies.