"German Chancellor Merz Least Popular Among 24 World Leaders... Modi and President Lee Top List"

Among the leaders of major countries worldwide, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was ranked as the least popular figure.

Among the leaders of major countries worldwide, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was ranked as the least popular figure. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

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According to Yonhap News on April 13 (local time), citing Euronews, "A Morning Consult survey tracking the approval ratings of leaders in 24 countries found that Chancellor Merz had the highest disapproval rate, with 76% of respondents saying they do not support his governance."

French President Emmanuel Macron (75%) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (65%) also ranked among the lowest, placing the leaders of three European countries at the bottom. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently engaged in a war with Iran, ranked 15th among the 24 leaders, with an approval rating of 38%.

The most popular leader in this survey was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (70% approval rating), followed by President Lee Jaemyung (63%) and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis (55%).

Public dissatisfaction with Chancellor Merz had already surfaced previously. In a survey by German polling institute Forsa, 78% of respondents said they were not satisfied with Chancellor Merz's governance. Manfred G?llner, head of Forsa, pointed out to Euronews, "Merz has been one of the least popular politicians in Germany since his early political activities in the early 2000s."

Chancellor Merz was previously ousted from politics following a power struggle within the party against former Chancellor Angela Merkel, but he returned in 2018 during the latter part of Merkel's administration. He was then inaugurated as chancellor in May last year; however, his approval rating has steadily declined, now falling even below that of his predecessor, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

One of the reasons cited for the drop in his approval rating is his frequent verbal gaffes. Chancellor Merz sparked controversy by dismissing the immigrant issue as a "city image" problem, and when asked by a reporter whether he intended to retract the statement, he made another blunder by replying, "Ask my daughter."

Last month, during a press conference with Ahmed Alshara, the acting president of Syria who was visiting Germany, Merz said, "About 80% of Syrians currently residing in Germany must return to their homeland within the next three years," adding, "President Alshara also wants this," which led to a controversy over the veracity of his remarks.

This figure was considered inhumane and virtually impossible both legally and administratively, even taking into account the situation in Syria after the end of the civil war. Afterwards, Chancellor Merz explained that "President Alshara provided this figure," but President Alshara countered, "I merely said that the return of refugees is directly linked to the reconstruction of Syria," resulting in a public dispute.

Forsa head G?llner evaluated, "Merz's approval rating has not risen since his return to politics, and he is particularly unpopular among women, young people, and those from the former East Germany."

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