German conservative state premiers back embattled Merz in joint statement

BERLIN, Sept 16 - Eight state premiers from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats backed the embattled leader in a joint statement on Wednesday.

With the letter, the premiers aim to quell speculation about Merz stepping down early after a major defeat in a state election this month.

"Now more than ever, Germany's political landscape needs stability," they wrote, pointing to elections in Poland, Italy, Spain, Greece and France next year with uncertain outcomes.

"The path to restoring public trust in Christian Democrats lies in listening and taking political action, not in debates over personnel," they added.

Merz's conservatives have called a special meeting for Sunday to coordinate the party's response to election results in the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, and demonstrate unity behind Merz's leadership, according to a party source.

Wednesday's letter was signed by the state premiers from Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Thuringia, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin.

All are members of Merz's CDU party.

Markus Soeder, premier of Bavaria and head of CDU's conservative sister party CSU, has also said he is backing Merz. REUTERS