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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to remain in office despite negative outcomes from recent state elections where his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party suffered significant losses. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, exit polls showed the CDU barely entering parliament with 38% of the vote going to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). In Berlin, Die Linke was projected to have won more votes than the CDU. These results come two weeks after a major victory by the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt and amid mounting pressure on Merz due to his low approval ratings and speculation about potential replacements mid-term.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces significant pressure as voters in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania go to the polls on Sunday, following the far-right AfD's major victory in Saxony-Anhalt just two weeks prior where it won nearly 44% of the vote compared to the CDU’s 17%. With about 3.8 million voters eligible across both states, the AfD is expected to make substantial gains at Merz’s expense, potentially undermining his ability to push through promised economic reforms. Polls indicate that Merz's approval ratings have fallen to around 14%, and his CDU party risks losing its status as the largest party in Berlin and falling below the threshold for representation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. These outcomes could further jeopardize Merz’s leadership, especially given the CDU’s recent struggles with unpopular reforms and low public approval.
Written for “German State Elections And Chancellor…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 40 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Embattled German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay on despite exit polls in two local elections suggesting damaging defeats for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
asserted
Merz → publish → party
In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party was projected to only just scrape into parliament, while the AfD was on track to win the most votes.
asserted
AfD → project → votes
Merz called the result "a disaster".
asserted
Merz → call → result
In Berlin, the ruling CDU was also expected to be beaten by Die Linke (The Left).
asserted
CDU → rule → Linke
Merz is under mounting pressure, with poor approval ratings and rumours he could even be replaced mid-term in a so-called chancellor swap.
uncertain
he → mount → swap
Votes took place on Sunday, a fortnight after the CDU saw its vote halved as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a major victory in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
asserted
Alternative → take → Anhalt
Polls for both states closed at 18:00 local time (17:00 BST), with a final result expected in the coming hours.
asserted
result → close → hours
According to public broadcaster ZDF, the AfD was projected to take 38% of the vote share in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
uncertain
AfD → accord → Vorpommern
However, it is unlikely to govern in the state as other parties refuse to work with it.
asserted
parties → govern → it
For Berlin, the broadcaster put the CDU on 20% of the vote share when polls closed, behind Die Linke on nearly 26%.
asserted
polls → put → %
Prior to Sunday's elections, there had been intense speculation in Germany that Merz could be replaced unless his party's political fortunes improved.
uncertain
fortunes → replace → Germany
Earlier this week, the leaders of eight German states backed Merz, who has only held the post for 16 months.
asserted
who → back → months
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
asserted
This → break → ?
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