A year after his national election win, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday passionately rallied his conservatives and won a strong endorsement with a 91% vote to confirm him as party chairman.

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party congress came as Merz faces pressure over a limping economy, poor personal approval ratings and the sustained threat of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of several regional elections.

Undeterred, Merz gave a vigorous speech in which he sought to assure around 1,000 top delegates of the CDU that his government remains committed to meeting its bold campaign pledges.