Merz under pressure as two more German states go to the polls
Polls show the AfD can gain ground while Merz’s conservatives risk setbacks in both races, with approval for his government sinking to 14%, pollsters said.
- On Sunday, German voters head to the polls in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in final state elections that threaten to further undermine embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz's leadership.
- Earlier this month, the CDU collapsed to 17% in Saxony-Anhalt while the AfD soared to 44%, intensifying conservative rumors about a potential 'chancellor swap' within Merz's party.
- In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the SPD edges ahead of the AfD at 37% versus 36%, with the campaign centered on popular state premier Manuela Schwesig.
- Berlin voters may see the Left Party overtake the CDU for the mayor's office, raising fresh questions over the so-called "firewall" strategy under which parties refuse AfD coalitions.
- Merz's approval ratings have plunged to 14% amid frustration over pension, tax, and energy reforms; senior CDU figures rallied behind him despite deep economic challenges ahead.
135 Articles
135 Articles
A new, disastrous electoral defeat today could bring Friedrich Merz to the fall.
Electors from two German lands are called to the polls in a poll that takes place on the basis of political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, while the extreme right, supported by recent results, is trying to strengthen his position, according to The Guardian.
(Berlin=Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Gye-yeon = Voting for the state parliamentary elections began in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, on the morning of the 20th (local time).
The party of the German Chancellor is in danger of losing ground and ending up outside the Regional Parliament. After the flop in Saxony-Anhalt, pressure on the Chancellor increases: between minority government and exchange rates at the summit, the names of the possible successors are already circulating.
Two weeks after the victory of the neo-Nazi AfD party in Saxony-Anhalt, the states of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania elect their new parliament.
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