DW Berlin Briefing - Inside German politics
Jul 31, 2026 · 35 min · 11 segments
An ad-hoc cabinet reshuffle backfired on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. With political egos flying and hurt feelings all around, could inner-party frustration threaten government stability? DW's…
Andreas RinkeGuest
Nina HaaseHost
Michaela KüfnerHost
On that last stretch towards the summer break, Germany just got to watch something like a political car crash in slow motion.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz wanted to mark a fresh start through a cabinet reshuffle.
All this inside drama could threaten the stability of the government, which makes it all the more important here to separate the Shaks- Shakespearean drama of it all from the political facts.
With me here to do just that is Andreas Rinke, the chief correspondent for Reuters, and our very own chief political correspondent, Nina Horch.
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On that last stretch towards the summer break, Germany just got to watch something like a political car crash in slow motion.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz wanted to mark a fresh start through a cabinet reshuffle.
All this inside drama could threaten the stability of the government, which makes it all the more important here to separate the Shaks- Shakespearean drama of it all from the political facts.
With me here to do just that is Andreas Rinke, the chief correspondent for Reuters, and our very own chief political correspondent, Nina Horch.