Germany’s AfD Wins Another State Election, Adding Pressure on Chancellor Merz, Exit Polls Show
Exit polls show the AfD winning 37% to 38% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as Merz vows to stay on despite his party’s worst result since World War II.
- On Sunday, the far-right AfD was projected to win the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state election with 37.0% of the vote, narrowly outpacing the governing Social Democrats at 35.5% while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU slumped to 5.5%.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office 16 months ago, faces mounting pressure as the AfD gains strength, building on their strong performance in the Saxony-Anhalt election two weeks ago that weakened his national standing.
- In Berlin's separate election held Sunday, the far-left Die Linke led with 24.5% of the vote, while Merz's conservatives followed at 20% and the AfD continued its trend of rising support, reaching 16%.
- Despite the AfD's projected victory in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the party is unlikely to govern as other main parties have ruled out forming a coalition with the far-right group.
- Anticipating a difficult period, Merz canceled a planned trip to New York next week for the UN General Assembly, as allies warned against public 'personnel debates' regarding his leadership following the election results.
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357 Articles
German Chancellor Merz's party faces fresh setback in state elections
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) faced heavy losses in two state elections, according to exit polls, adding to pressure on the leader as he struggles to revive the economy and contain the far-right AfD's rise. The AfD made gains in both states, while the CDU was projected to record its worst-ever result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania since World War II.
German Chancellor Merz is living on borrowed time if the series of election disasters and alarming polls continues. On Sunday, his CDU teetered on the threshold of a landslide in former Chancellor Angela Merkel's home state.
AfD seizes hegemony in this coastal territory from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which falls to the second position with between 35.5% and 36%.
Merz party has worst state result in postwar German history
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives posted their worst-ever result in a German state election, where exit polls showed his party with single-digit support in a northeastern Baltic coast region and trailing a far-left party in Berlin.
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