Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to press on with his reform agenda despite his centre-right CDU party suffering major losses in state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Exit polls on Sunday night indicated that the CDU had been defeated in both states, with the party coming in at just 5.5 percent in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its lowest result since World War II.
The CDU's poor performance in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania saw the party barely cross the threshold to enter the state parliament, with the anti-migration, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) party projected to win 37 percent, ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) on 35.5 percent. Merz acknowledged the CDU's result as a "disaster" but struck a defiant note, rejecting any retreat from his government's reform agenda.
In Berlin, the CDU was projected to come in second with 20 percent, behind hard-left Die Linke (the Left) at 24.5 percent, according to exit polls. The AfD also gained strength in Berlin, hitting 16 percent. Die Linke party top candidate Elif Eralp reacted to the exit polls, which put her party in the lead in state elections in Berlin.
Merz's authority was already damaged by the CDU's stinging defeat to AfD in the 6 September election in the small eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. That result shocked many Germans who had believed their country had developed an immunity to nationalism and assertions of racial superiority after confronting the horrors of its Nazi past through education and laws to outlaw persecution.
Merz, 70, became Germany's leader 16 months ago with promises to turn around an economy that has barely grown in years, but has failed to lift a sullen national mood and has himself become deeply unpopular. The strong showing of AfD in the Saxony-Anhalt election has further weakened the chancellor's standing on the national level.
In the past two weeks, there have been calls within his own party to replace him as chancellor, although no top-level allies have called publicly for his departure. Many have warned against "personnel debates" as Merz prepares for a tough post-election period. He has abandoned a planned trip to New York next week to attend the UN General Assembly.
Despite the setbacks, Merz has repeatedly said that he's determined to stay on and finish his term as chancellor. He emphasized that "the reforms have to come" and that he is taking on the responsibility to move the country forward. The CDU's losses in the state elections have raised questions about Merz's leadership and the party's future.
Key points
- Merz vows to continue with reforms despite CDU's major losses in state elections.
- CDU suffers worst result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania since World War II.
- AfD gains strength in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, further weakening Merz's authority.
