Merz has done 'very poorly' on communication, says former spokesman for the German government Béla Anda

Béla Anda, chief spokesman for the federal government under Gerhard Schröder, says it will be “very hard” for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to regain control after the AfD’s landslide victory in regional elections.

Béla Anda believes Merz has shown “some emotions, but in the wrong way”, making it difficult for him to connect with citizens. To avoid repeating the lack of connection with voters, the former government spokesman recommends simply “letting Merz be Merz”.

Anda insists that Merz should maintain his position and avoid being “strong on one topic and then totally change”, a pattern he believes has been repeated over the past year and a half.

Merz should “keep together” the governing coalition and advises against moving closer to the far-right AfD, arguing that a majority of CDU members prefer to “keep a strong distance” from the party, Anda said.