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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called twin state election losses 'a disaster' for his CDU party but pledged to stay on, framing his reform agenda as 'the antidote' to rising authoritarianism as the far-right AfD surged in both states.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Merz** declared the state election results "a disaster" for the CDU but vowed to stay on, insisting he would push through his coalition's economic, tax, and welfare reforms despite exit polls showing damaging defeats.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

In **Mecklenburg-Vorpommern**, the AfD was projected to take 38% of the vote (per ZDF) — its largest vote share in the state for the first time — while the CDU scraped into parliament on just 5%, its worst-ever result there; the SPD trailed at 36%.

Merz Vows to Stay as AfD Surges in Two State Elections — SkimNews

By BBC World · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-09-20

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Merz declared the state election results "a disaster" for the CDU but vowed to stay on, insisting he would push through his coalition's economic, tax, and welfare reforms despite exit polls showing damaging defeats.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the AfD was projected to take 38% of the vote (per ZDF) — its largest vote share in the state for the first time — while the CDU scraped into parliament on just 5%, its worst-ever result there; the SPD trailed at 36%.
In Berlin, Die Linke was projected to top the capital's polls for the first time with nearly 26%, ahead of the CDU on 20%, with the AfD rising to a projected 16%.
Merz framed his reform package as "the antidote to the authoritarian poison" penetrating German society, pledging "backbone, steadfastness and patience" and refusing to entertain a so-called chancellor swap.
The losses come a fortnight after the CDU saw its vote halved as the AfD won in Saxony-Anhalt, fueling weeks of speculation that Merz could be replaced mid-term.
Leaders of eight German states publicly backed Merz earlier this week; he has been chancellor for only 16 months, and the CDU's Berlin chairman Burkard Dregger urged giving him the full four-year term.
Merz's rightward tack on immigration has failed to erode AfD support while alienating left-leaning voters, leaving the former corporate lawyer deeply unpopular with no clear path to recovery before national pressures mount.

Why it matters: The CDU's collapse to 5% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern — its worst-ever state result — combined with Merz's failure to dent AfD support through his immigration pivot, leaves the chancellor pushing his reform agenda with a visibly weakened mandate and an emboldened far right that now tops polls in two eastern states.