German Chancellor Merz Calls State Election Result a 'Disaster' but Vows to Stay On
BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he would remain in office despite exit polls showing painful defeats for his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in two state elections, describing the result in one northeastern state as “a disaster” for his party.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, initial projections had the CDU barely clearing the 5% threshold needed to enter the state parliament, which would have marked its worst-ever result there. A few hours later, however, the party had slipped below that threshold, according to projections. Merz called the outcome “a disaster.”
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was on track to finish first in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, but it is unlikely to govern because other parties refuse to work with it. Public broadcasters ZDF and ARD put the AfD slightly ahead, with a projected 38% of the vote, followed by the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) at 36%.
In Berlin, the ruling CDU was also expected to lose to Die Linke (The Left). Broadcasters put the CDU at 20% when polls closed, behind Die Linke at nearly 26% — a striking result for a party that has never led polls in the capital before. The AfD was projected to increase its share in Berlin to 16%.
Polls in both states closed at 18:00 local time (17:00 BST). Final results were expected later Sunday night or early Monday.
The dual setbacks, if confirmed, deepen the pressure on Merz, who has been chancellor for only 16 months and whose approval ratings remain weak. Speculation had been building in Germany that he could be replaced midterm in a so-called chancellor swap unless his party’s fortunes improved.
The votes came two weeks after the CDU saw its support halved in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD won a major victory. Echoing remarks he made after that defeat, Merz told reporters at the party’s Berlin headquarters on Sunday that he would press ahead with the coalition government’s plans for a package of economic, tax and welfare reforms.
“The reforms have to come,” he insisted. “I am taking on this responsibility, because I want to move our country forward.”
“What needs to be done now requires backbone, steadfastness and patience,” Merz said. “I will demonstrate this as CDU party chairman and, above all, as chancellor of our country.”
He added: “I would even go so far as to say that these reforms are the antidote to the authoritarian poison that, with the fascination of authoritarianism, is penetrating ever deeper into our society.”
At the CDU’s election-night gathering in Berlin, there was no cheering as projected results appeared on screen. The mood was muted. This is a party that knows it is in trouble, and its leader quickly went on the offensive, declaring that he is going nowhere.
Merz has long coveted the top job in German politics and is unlikely to give it up easily. Earlier this week, the leaders of eight German states backed him. On Sunday, Burkard Dregger, a CDU official in Berlin, told the BBC that Merz should stay on.
“He has a lot of work to do and we don’t have time to waste to form a new government at the federal level,” Dregger said. He described voters as “impatient” and said it was “not realistic to expect that every issue has been solved within one year.”
“He has got four years and we have to give him the four years,” Dregger added.
While Merz’s supporters argue that many of the problems Germany faces are inherited, the chancellor himself remains deeply unpopular. The former corporate lawyer’s shift to the right on issues such as immigration has failed to erode AfD support, while alienating voters further to the left.
The results also carry broader implications. They underscore the fragmentation of German politics, the resilience of the AfD despite a firewall around it, and the fragile position of Merz’s coalition as it tries to revive Europe’s largest economy. Even if Merz survives the immediate fallout, the state elections will intensify debates inside the CDU over strategy, leadership and how to respond to the far right.
In Berlin, Die Linke’s lead candidate, Elif Eralp, celebrated as exit polls came in.
Related coverage: German elections under way which could decide fate of Chancellor Merz; Eight German state premiers back Merz amid speculation over future; How significant are AfD’s historic gains for Germany and the rest of Europe?