Berlin, 28 May 2026

Speculation is mounting in Berlin that the conservative CDU/CSU union is considering replacing its chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz with North Rhine-Westphalia's premier Hendrik Wüst, according to media reports.

Both Stern magazine and Bild newspaper report that there is whispering within the Union about a possible 'chancellor swap'. The 50-year-old Wüst, the thinking goes, could bring fresh momentum and break the reform deadlock.

Green signals and past hostilities

The Greens, after the collapse of the red-yellow-green coalition in 2024, have made no secret of their desire to have continued governing. Green parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge said: 'Man hat ein bisschen den Eindruck, die CDU flüchtet gedanklich aus der Koalition mit der SPD.' She added: 'Wenn die Union erkennt, dass ihr Grünen-Bashing ein Fehler war, ist das ein Fortschritt.'

The term 'Grünen-Bashing' came from the very top of the Union. Merz labelled the Greens as 'Hauptgegner' in 2023. During the 2025 federal election campaign he railed against 'grüne und linke Spinner'. Bavaria's premier Markus Söder (CSU) declared: 'Die Grünen gehören von der Regierungs- auf die Oppositionsbank.'

Yet contacts between the two camps have recently intensified. Baden-Württemberg's Green finance minister Danyal Bayaz told Spiegel: 'Eine stabile CDU der rechten Mitte ist wichtig für unser Land. Eine solche CDU und die Grünen können potenzielle Partner sein und künftige Koalitionen auch im Bund bilden.'

Bayaz also outlined the Greens' ambition for Berlin: 'Bei zentralen Themen des Sozialstaats – wie etwa bei der Rente und der Flexibilisierung des Arbeitsmarktes – Teil der Lösung zu sein.'

A history of friction

The tensions between Merz and Wüst are not new. Merz recently complained of 'große Verunsicherung in der Bevölkerung in ganz Deutschland, übrigens auch in Nordrhein-Westfalen'. He warned: 'Wenn wir heute in NRW Landtagswahlen hätten, wäre die AfD fast so stark wie im Bund.'

The trigger for Merz's outburst in a ZDF interview was a question from moderator Theo Koll. Wüst had previously deflected questions about his ambitions with the phrase: 'Meine Aufgaben liegen aktuell in NRW.' The word 'aktuell' was noted by Merz.

Wüst further angered Merz with a guest article in the FAZ titled 'Das Herz der CDU schlägt in der Mitte'. In it, Wüst argued that Angela Merkel had secured the CDU's ability to govern through 'eine Politik von Modernität, Mitte und Ausgleich'. Merz, who saw his party burdened by 16 years of Chancellor Merkel, wanted to 'durchlüften und erneuern'.

According to Die Zeit, Merz described Wüst's FAZ piece to party colleagues as a 'Kriegserklärung' and 'Fehdehandschuh'. Despite this, the two men appeared side by side at the NRW state representation's summer party, smiling and toasting each other. Wüst greeted Merz as 'lieben Friedrich Merz'.

Polls and perceptions

In the two most recent polls from April and May, the CDU in NRW stands at 34 and 32 percent respectively, clearly better than nationally. The Greens are estimated at around 16 percent, meaning a coalition would have a majority — unusual in current times.

The Tagesspiegel accompanied Wüst on a trip and headlined its report on 20 May: 'Unterwegs mit dem Ersatz-Kanzler'. However, there is no evidence that Wüst is actively undermining Merz.

Sharp reaction from Merz's camp

Merz's circle reacted sharply on Wednesday. A chancellor swap was called 'eine naive Idee'. It showed a 'gefährliche Lust an der Zündelei'. A notable pun from Merz's camp, alluding to the NRW premier, described the 'wüste Spekulation' as showing remarkable ignorance of the constitution and political reality.

The use of the word 'wüste' can be interpreted as an attribution of blame to Wüst. Merz's circle warned: 'Hier wird die Stabilität im Bundestag gefährdet.' Given the world crises, this was 'doppelt fahrlässig'. Merz's predecessors Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Angela Merkel (CDU) would likely have left the recent speculation uncommented.