The day belonged to fuel prices. After morning reports of record diesel at 2.471 euros and leaked details of a relief package, the coalition moved from discussion to decision: by evening, Bund and Länder agreed in principle on a renewed tank discount combined with a state price cap, reported at 17 cents per litre and around €2.5bn through end-2026. Editors quickly noted the caveats — financing unresolved, Länder approval pending, and doubts whether the cap would actually take effect.
The deal landed two days before Sunday's double vote in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which papers framed as a verdict on Merz's chancellorship after the premiers' support letter and questions over who removed his name. Coverage also followed Russia's Duma election, cast as a staged vote, and Saxony-Anhalt's possible far-right premier Siegmund.