German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing intense political pressure after his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered what he himself called a “disaster” in two state elections held Sunday. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the northeast, the CDU’s vote share fell so low it may not even clear the 5% threshold required to hold seats in the regional parliament. In Berlin, the party looked set to be overtaken by the left-wing Die Linke party, which has never before led polling in the German capital.
The far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party emerged as the biggest winner, projected to take the most votes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and to grow its support in Berlin as well. Even so, other parties have refused to form a coalition with the AfD, meaning it is unlikely to actually govern the state.
Despite mounting speculation that he could be pushed out mid-term, Merz insisted he would remain chancellor and push ahead with planned economic, tax and welfare reforms. He described the changes as “the antidote” to what he called the growing pull of authoritarianism in German society. His remarks echo comments made two weeks earlier, after the CDU’s vote was halved in another regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, also won by the AfD.
You can read the full BBC report for more on the results and reactions.
Source: German Chancellor Merz calls state election a 'disaster' for his party but vows to stay on (feeds.bbci.co.uk).
Image: summonedbyfells, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).