Pension reform sparks crisis inside Merz’s CDU

A showdown over pension reform is pitting Merz against his own youth wing — with the coalition’s stability on the line.

Dear Reader,

Friedrich Merz is facing his third backbench rebellion in just over six months in power — and it could be the most serious yet.

After he failed to secure a majority for the supposedly routine formality of being elected chancellor in May and was forced into a humiliating retreat over a left-wing nominee for the Constitutional Court in July, he…