German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he will press ahead with reforms after the CDU suffers major setbacks in two state elections. Preliminary results in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania show the CDU at about 4.9%, falling short of the 5% threshold needed to enter the state parliament for the first time in Germany’s post-World War II history. The far-right AfD wins the state with about 38.2%, while the Social Democrats (SPD) place second at about 35.5%.
Other reporting describes CDU losses as part of a broader pattern. PBS and other outlets cite ARD exit polls showing a historic low for the party in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In Berlin, projections show the Left Party leading, with the CDU performing poorly, adding pressure on Merz and his conservative bloc. France 24 notes that the election outcomes leave different coalition possibilities: in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, other parties rule out coalition talks involving the AfD, supporting the incumbent SPD premier’s path to government; in Berlin, the Left, Greens and SPD appear more likely to form a coalition.
After the results, Merz and CDU figures frame the defeat as a “disaster” or “turning point” while reiterating that they will keep the coalition together and pursue the policy agenda. Several outlets also report that the scale of the losses intensifies questions about Merz’s leadership and political stability across Germany.
