Germany's largest-circulation tabloid, Bild, has passed judgment on Chancellor Friedrich Merz : "The solitary chancellor explains his biggest mistake," the paper wrote this week. They were referring to his latest surprising decision tostop authorizing further weapons deliveries to Israel that could also be used in the war in the Gaza Strip.

Merz made this decision without prior debate in his own center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and, according to Bild, its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), was not even informed.

This was the latest in a series of turnabouts and surprise decisions Merz has made since coming to office.

His chancellorship got off to a bungled start: When, following the February 23 general election, the new Bundestag convened to elect a new head of government, observers had high hopes for stability.

The previous center-left government of Social Democrats (SPD), environmentalist Greens and neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) had collapsed after only three years, which were marred by continual infighting, mainly over budgetary issues. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) doubled its share of the vote to 20.8%. A survey by pollster Forsa in early August, put the AfD ahead of the CDU/CSU at 26% compared to 24%.

However, on May 6, Friedrich Merz initially failed to gain the required number of votes to become chancellor. He lacked six votes from his own camp, and managed to secure the necessary majority only in an unprecedented second vote.

Billions in new government debt

The new government started with a bang even before taking office: Together with the Greens, now in opposition, it organized a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag to lift the strict German rules around state borrowing, despite having made election promises to safeguard the so-called debt brake, which is enshrined in the constitution.

The new government will have a gigantic additional €500 billion ($583 billion) — but in theory, unlimited — to upgrade its armed forces and at least a further €500 billion for the renewal of roads, railway tracks and schools, and also for climate protection initiatives.

The new Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil of the SPD said: "The OECD, the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission or the G7 — in recent years all have encouraged and advised Germany to invest more and make our debt rules more flexible. That was not possible until now. But here in Parliament, we have finally loosened these chains, and we are investing more strongly than ever in the future viability of our country."

Another election promise was seen to be broken in June. Electricity prices had widely been expected to be lowered for everyone. Then, the government announced a reduction in electricity tax only for the industrial, agricultural and forestry sectors, arguing there was no budget for a comprehensive electricity price break.

Focus on foreign policy

In the 100 days since taking office, Merz was primarily occupied with foreign policy. Shortly after he was voted in, he made a high-profile trip to Kyiv with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to assure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of European solidarity.

In early June, he visited US President Donald Trump at the White House and, in contrast to some other visitors, was treated well.

Merz seemed at ease at EU and NATO summits.

Merz has been so outspoken on foreign policy that his foreign finister, Johann Wadephul, often faded into the background. Occasionally, the chancellor's undiplomatic choice of words has sparked outrage, such as following Israel's June 13 attack on Iran: "This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us. We are also victims of this regime. This mullah-regime has brought death and destruction to the world. With attacks, with blood and thunder. With Hezbollah, with Hamas."

Tougher measures on immigration

In domestic matters, the issue of curbing irregular immigration has been key. The new Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) moved quickly to tighten controls at Germany's border. This also included rejections of asylum seekers, which critics argue breaches EU law.

Germany's eastern neighbor Poland responded in kind to Dobrindt's measures, introducing controls that led to long traffic jams on both sides of the border. Dobrindt repeatedly defended his decisions: "The EU is a cosmopolitan region. We remain a cosmopolitan region. But we do not want it so that illegal smugglers, traffickers and criminal gangs get to decide who comes to our region. We want political decisions to specify the legal ways to come to Europe; we will not surrender that to criminal gangs," he said.

Cracks in the coalition

The last session of the Bundestag before its summer break ended with a bang. The confirmation of three new judges to the Federal Constitutional Court was on the agenda. In the past, coalition partners had always managed to fill such important roles as amicably and smoothly as possible to preserve the reputation of the highest German court.

But not this time: Dozens of conservative lawmakers refused to vote in the candidate put forward by the SPD, Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, who had been approved for nomination by a bipartisan committee. There had been pushback against her appointment, especially on right-wing social media channels misrepresenting her liberal views on abortion. On the day of the vote, dubious plagiarism charges were leveled at the candidate and the vote was canceled.

The SPD spoke of a serious breach of trust. Although the party continued to back her, Brosius-Gersdorf later withdrew her candidacy. The issue of the judges' appointments will continue beyond the summer recess and represents the first major crisis within the coalition, casting a shadow over the government's record after 100 days in office.

This article was originally written in German.

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.