Merz insists he will stay as German chancellor despite heavy losses in state elections – Europe live

EU senior diplomats will resume talks later today on maintaining sanctions against nearly ۳,۰۰۰ Russian individuals and companies, with the issue deadlocked over the status of tycoon Alisher Usmanov.

The EU last week agreed a one-week extension to stop the sanctions expiring, after France joined Slovakia in pushing for Usmanov to be removed from the list.

The Uzbekistan-born multibillionaire, who made his fortune in metals, mining and telecoms, was sanctioned by the EU in March ۲۰۲۲. He was described in the EU sanctions listing as “a pro-Kremlin oligarch with particularly close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin”.

France stunned EU partners by joining Slovakia earlier this month in petitioning for his removal from the list, which covers nearly ۳,۰۰۰ Russian individuals and entities that are accused of offering support to Vladimir Putin’s brutal war on Ukraine.

The French government wants his release in order to facilitate the release of French nationals in Azerbaijan. France’s envoy has told his EU counterparts the government is seeking the delisting on national security grounds, while details of the prisoner release deal were first reported by the FT.

Azerbaijan, along with the Organisation of Turkic States, has previously lobbied western decision-makers to release Usmanov, describing him as “a renowned philanthropist” who has built bridges between the West, Central Asia and wider Turkic world. Slovakia’s populist government began lobbying for Usmanov and fellow billionaire Mikhail Fridman to be removed from the EU sanctions list in the summer.

EU ambassadors meeting first thing on Monday failed to break the deadlock and agreed to resume talks later (۱۴۰۰ CET).

The sanctions are due to expire on Tuesday and the delay has caused frustration among the majority of EU member states, who highlight the backdrop of intensifying hybrid attacks on Europe blamed on Russia.

The UK transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has just said that the technical issue has been fixed. But airlines have expressed their “disappointment” with the UK’s NATS air traffic control systems.

A British Airway spokesperson said:

Yet another technical fault with Nats means some of our customers are likely to experience disruption to their travel plans today. This is disappointing, and while it is an issue that is entirely out of our control, we’re doing everything we can to limit the impact on customers and are keeping them updated.

An easyJet spokesperson said:

A Nats air traffic control system failure in its Prestwick centre is causing delays to flights with some unable to operate. This, once again, calls into question the resilience of Nats’s systems and demonstrates the need for firm actions to prevent these repeated failures.

Another air traffic control failure has disrupted flights at several British airports, about two weeks after a software glitch caused widespread flight chaos across the region.

Currently, Manchester, Glasgow and ⁠Belfast airports are experiencing delays. The NATS air traffic control provider says this is due to an issue at one of its Scottish centres.

London’s Gatwick and City Airports have warned of disruption, while British Airways has alerted customers and easyJet airline has cancelled some flights.

“This, once ​again, calls into question the resilience of NATS’ systems and demonstrates the need for firm actions to prevent these repeated failures,” easyJet said.

CDU routs force Merz into survival mode

Deborah Cole

Polls had been predicting the humiliating result for Merz’s conservatives, which came after a historic rout two weeks ago in the former communist state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the CDU scored just ۱۷% to the AfD’s nearly ۴۴%.

But the cumulative effect of the series of losses, coupled with Merz’s dire approval rating and a far- right with clear momentum, can hardly be exaggerated. Despite his vow to stay the course, many saw the German leader on borrowed time.

“Friedrich Merz is fighting for his political survival,” said Berenberg bank chief economist Holger Schmieding.

“Although Merz has vowed to stay on as chancellor to spearhead the much needed pro-growth reforms, it will not be easy for him to contain the unrest within his party.”

Speculation was already rife after the Saxony-Anhalt race about a Kanzlertausch or chancellor swap. But as long as none of the potential successors appears ready to wield the dagger, and Merz remains unwilling to step aside, a volatile deadlock will reign.

Merz, ۷۰, had gathered the CDU leadership at the party headquarters in Berlin to watch the exit polls together late Sunday.

Local media reported that some of those assembled loudly objected to remarks that he planned to deliver his programme, saying that it amounted to ignoring what voters were obviously shouting from the rooftops with their choices.

Merz cancelled a planned trip to New York this week to speak before the UN general assembly, already anticipating he would need to be in Berlin to grapple with the state elections’ aftermath.

Now more than ever, he will have his work cut out for him after just ۱۶ months in office.

Also rolling in this morning are the numbers from Russia’s orchestrated lower-house election, where Vladimir Putin’s party has retained a huge majority against token opposition.

Electoral officers say the ruling United Russia party is on track to gain ۳۵۵ of the ۴۵۰ seats in the State Duma – even larger than the previous ۲۰۱۶ record.

It’s the first election since the Kremlin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine four-and-a-half years ago and parties critical of Putin were excluded from the vote.

The EU’s Kaja Kallas has slammed the sham this morning, calling it “another major setback for Russian democracy.”

“Their outcome was never in doubt,” she writes.

“The Kremlin silenced dissent, barred the only registered party that opposed its war in Ukraine, and shut out international election monitors. The veneer of democracy is all that remains in Russia.”

The CDU also lost its majority in Berlin yesterday to the hard-left Die Linke which gained ۲۵.۷% of the vote.

We’re expecting a press conference from Merz at ۱.۳۰pm local time following this morning’s meetings with party seniors and CDU state governors.

The eight of them backed Merz in a letter released last week. However, that was before the drubbing in Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania.

Some critics have already started calling for Merz – ۱۶ months in office- to step down. But is Merz’ personal popularity the issue here?

“I don’t see that swapping out a leadership figure would really bring a change,” Education Minister Karin Prien, who is also a deputy CDU leader, has told Phoenix television. She said she doesn’t see “another personnel offer” coming.

“So we must now discuss with one another — together with the chancellor as a government, and on the other hand as a party — how we win more acceptance and more credibility among the population.”

Good morning and welcome to our Europe live blog, where we’ll start in Germany after a bruising night for Friedrich Merz’s party.

The German chancellor is staring down pressure over his leadership and authority after the CDU suffered heavy losses in two regional elections. For the first time in ۷۷ years, it’s failed to enter a state parliament, in the former East German state of Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania.

This was the home state of former CDU chancellor Angela Merkel; the party there last night pulled just ۴.۹% of the vote, losing more than half of its support.

Many of its voters have flocked to Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). The far-right, anti-migrant party gained ۳۸% of the vote, doubling its share to now become the largest party in the state. This result comes just a fortnight after AfD romped to a majority in Saxony-Anhalt.

Merz called it a “disaster” last night in a public address, but vowed to stay the course and press on with his government’s reforms.