Germany’s Merz avoids crisis

Chancellor Merz squeaked through his biggest crisis so far this morning. A large number of his own M.P.s had threatened to rebel against his pensions bill. After weeks of crisis talks, he finally managed to pass it by a slim margin with 319 votes. (He needed 316 for a majority.) Also this morning, the government’s long-delayed and debated conscription law finally made it over the finish line. Bild described the vote as a “warning signal from Merz’s own ranks: Today WE will push through the pension reform, and tomorrow YOU will rebuild the party.” Party infighting has weakened Germany’s center-left-center-right coalition. “Many M.P.s no longer trust their coalition partner,” they wrote. “This is poison for the already weak cohesion of the black-red coalition.” Many others “resent the way thumbscrews were put on them” and resent their own leadership. Germany has again devolved into coalition chaos and is craving a strong leader.