Merz vows to stay on after CDU losses deepen in German state elections

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he will remain in office after his centre-right Christian Democratic Union suffered heavy losses in two state elections. Preliminary results pointed to a difficult night for the governing party, with the far-right Alternative for Germany leading in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the left-wing Die Linke on course to win in Berlin. Merz described the CDU result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as a disaster and said he would continue to push his reform agenda.

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In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the CDU was reported to have cleared the 5% threshold to enter the state parliament by only a narrow margin, marking its worst-ever result in the state. The Alternative for Germany won nearly 38% there, more than doubling its previous score, while the party was still expected to remain out of power because other parties have agreed not to cooperate with it. In Berlin, Die Linke was on course to win about 25% of the vote, ahead of the CDU by around five points, while the Alternative for Germany also made double-digit gains.

The results add to pressure on Merz after a series of setbacks this year and come two weeks after the Alternative for Germany's state chapter in Saxony-Anhalt routed the CDU with a record 44% for the party. Merz said Germany was facing profound upheaval and argued that trust in institutions was being undermined by radical parties on both the left and the right. He said he would remain both chancellor and party chair and press ahead with reforms on taxes, healthcare, pensions and bureaucracy.

The vote matters because state elections in Germany are often treated as a test of confidence in the federal leadership, even though they do not directly determine the national government. The CDU's weak showing in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and its trailing position in Berlin underline the scale of the challenge facing Merz as he tries to stabilise his party. The results also highlight the continuing strength of the Alternative for Germany in regional politics and the ability of Die Linke to compete strongly in the capital.

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Merz has been under pressure for months amid poor approval ratings and speculation about whether he could hold on as chancellor. The latest results are likely to intensify debate inside the CDU over strategy and leadership, particularly as senior figures weigh how to respond to the party's losses and the rise of its rivals. Earlier support from state leaders for Merz now sits alongside another damaging electoral setback.

What remains unclear is the final scale of the losses once counting is complete and whether the projections will shift materially. It is also not yet known whether the results will trigger any immediate change in the CDU's internal debate over Merz's leadership. The next focus will be on final results, coalition arithmetic in the two states and whether the chancellor can turn his pledge to continue into a more stable political position.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he will remain in office after exit polls pointed to heavy losses for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union in two state elections. The projections from Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern suggested a difficult night for the governing party, with the AfD leading in the north-eastern state and Die Linke ahead in the capital. Merz described the result as a "disaster" for his party and said he would press ahead with his coalition's reform agenda.

Polls closed at 18:00 local time, with final results expected in the coming hours. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the CDU was projected to only just enter parliament, while the AfD was forecast to win the largest share of the vote. Public broadcaster ZDF put the AfD on 38% and the SPD on 36% in that state, although the AfD is unlikely to govern because other parties refuse to work with it.

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In Berlin, the CDU was projected on 20%, behind Die Linke on nearly 26%. The results add to pressure on Merz, who has faced poor approval ratings and speculation that he could be replaced before the end of his term. The vote came a fortnight after the CDU saw its support halved in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD recorded a major victory.

Merz told reporters that the reforms his government wants to push through on the economy, tax and welfare were necessary, saying they were meant to move the country forward. He also argued that the reforms were a response to what he called the spread of authoritarian thinking in society. The outcome matters because it reflects wider strain on Germany's governing centre-right and the continuing rise of the AfD in regional politics.

State elections are not national votes, but they are often read as a test of confidence in the federal leadership. For Merz, who has held the chancellorship for 16 months, the results deepen questions about whether he can stabilise his party and hold together support for his coalition programme. The fact that the CDU was expected to trail in Berlin and struggle to stay in parliament in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern underlines the scale of the challenge.

There had already been intense speculation before Sunday's vote about whether Merz could survive if his party's fortunes did not improve. Earlier this week, the leaders of eight German states publicly backed him, signalling that senior figures still wanted him to continue. That support now sits alongside another poor electoral showing, which may sharpen debate inside the CDU over strategy, leadership and how to respond to the AfD's gains.

The party's performance in the two states will also be watched closely for signs of whether the losses are temporary or part of a broader decline. What remains unclear is the final scale of the losses once the count is complete and whether the projections will shift materially. It is also not yet clear whether the results will trigger any immediate change in the CDU's internal debate over Merz's leadership.

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