Germany news: Fuel costs dominate debate ahead of polls

Germans are being squeezed at the pump as the government promises to act soon Image: Marc John/Bonn.digital/picture allianceAdvertisementSkip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know Germany's coalition government still undecided on fuel price relief Poll shows nearly half of Germans expect Chancellor Merz to step down  Two states gear up for elections this weekend  Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on Friday September 18, 2026:

A new poll released by YouGov on Friday added another example of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's tanking approval ratings. 

According to the survey, 48% of the 1,611 adults questioned expect Merz will no longer be chancellor by the end of the year. Another 31% said they expected Merz to remain, while 21% did not answer. 

The low approval ratings come as Merz's conservative Christian Democrat (CDU) party performed very poorly in regional elections in the eastern state of Saxony Anhalt two weeks ago.

Having won the previous state election, the CDU got just 17% of the vote, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) dominated at over 44%.

Polls for the upcoming state elections in Mecklenburg Western Pomerania show the CDU coming in at 7%, which is perilously close to the 5% threshold needed to win seats in parliament. Polling currently shows the theSocial Democrats (SPD) neck and neck with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

If these polls play out on election day, it would be the worst CDU election performance at any level since World War II. 

For weeks, German media outlets have speculated over whether another election drubbing could cost Merz the chancellory. 

Germany's governing coalition is under pressure to show progress on bringing soaring gas prices under control ahead of two state elections this weekend in the northeastern states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin.

On Friday morning, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Social Democrat (SPD) state premier, Manuela Schwesig, told public broadcaster ZDF that Friedrich Merz should quickly implement a price cap.

The SPD is junior coalition partner with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative bloc (CDU/CSU) at federal level, but the parties have diverging ideas on how to address the soaring prices brought on the by the Iran war.

Despite Merz's insistence on Tuesday that gas price relief is coming quickly, the ruling coalition has yet to agree on an approach.

Germany's conservatives have resisted the SPD's call for price caps and a windfall profit tax in favor of a fuel tax relief scheme.

Such a scheme was enacted in the first months of the Iran war and expired in June. 

On Thursday evening, CDU General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann told a talk show that the coalition government was aiming for gas price relief of "around 22, 23, 25 cents per liter" by the beginning of October, without sharing concrete measures on how to reach that.

Germany's SPD Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has for months advocated a government-enforced price cap on gasoline and diesel, along with new taxes on heavy oil company profits.

"We are right now looking for solutions" said Klingbeil on Friday at a EU finance minister meeting in Dublin, Ireland.

"I want a clear, quick signal at the gas pumps right now," said Klingbeil, who is also vice chancellor. "I'm confident that we'll be able to get it done very quickly."

Klingbeil added he expects the European Commission to prepare proposals for a windfall profit tax by the next meeting of EU finance ministers in October.

Prices for gasoline and diesel have broke record highs several times over the past week. On Thursday, the ADAC motoring club reported diesel at a record-breaking €2.47 per liter ($10.72 per gallon) on average, and the lowest cost E-10 gasoline at over €2.30.

Guten Tag from Bonn as we kick off the weekend with everything Germany is talking about today. 

Soaring gasoline and diesel prices are dominating poitical discussion this week, with Germany's ruling coalition still divided on how to best provide price relief. 

The debate comes ahead of two key state elections on Sunday. Voters are heading to the polls in the city-state Berlin and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (MWP) in the former East Germany.

Both races are set to be close-run affairs. The Left Party and Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democrats are battling it out in Berlin, while the center-left Social Democrats and the far-right AfD are neck and neck in MWP. 

This Friday, sees the final day of campaigning.

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