Embattled German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has firmly rejected calls to step down following a string of poor electoral performances. Sunday’s exit polls revealed damaging results for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the states of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, leading Merz to publicly label the outcome “a disaster” for his party.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, projections suggest the CDU barely maintained enough support to enter parliament, marking its worst electoral showing in the state’s history. Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) appeared on track for a significant victory. Broadcasters ZDF and ARD projected the AfD to secure 38% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ahead of the centre-left SPD at 36%, with the CDU trailing at just 5%. Despite this performance, the AfD remains isolated, as other political parties refuse to form a governing coalition with them.
The situation in Berlin proved similarly difficult, with exit polls placing the ruling CDU at 20%, trailing behind Die Linke (The Left), which garnered nearly 26% of the vote. The atmosphere at the CDU’s election night headquarters was notably muted, lacking any signs of celebration as these figures were projected on screen.
Speaking at the party’s Berlin headquarters, Merz addressed the mounting speculation regarding his political future, which has persisted since his party’s support was halved during a major AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt a fortnight ago. Having served as chancellor for only 16 months, Merz insisted that he would move forward with his coalition government’s comprehensive economic, tax, and welfare reform agenda.
“The reforms have to come,” Merz stated, arguing that they serve as an “antidote to the authoritarian poison” infiltrating society. He emphasized his commitment to the role, declaring, “I am taking on this responsibility, because I want to move our country forward.” He acknowledged that navigating the current political climate requires “backbone, steadfastness and patience,” traits he pledged to demonstrate as both party chairman and chancellor.
The push for continuity has received support from leadership figures within his own party. Earlier this week, the heads of eight German states backed the Chancellor. Burkard Dregger, a CDU member of the Berlin Senate, defended Merz on Sunday, telling reporters that the Chancellor has “a lot of work to do” and that the country lacks the luxury of time to restructure federal leadership. Dregger described the electorate as “impatient,” noting that expecting total resolution of national issues within a single year was unrealistic, and urged that the government be given the remainder of its four-year term.
Despite this support, analysts note that Merz remains deeply unpopular with the public. While his defenders argue that the coalition inherited most of the nation’s current challenges, Merz’s political shift to the right on issues like immigration has failed to blunt AfD support while simultaneously alienating his party’s left-leaning base. Final results from the weekend’s elections are expected to be confirmed later tonight or early Monday morning. The report also notes that with poor approval ratings and rumours he could even be replaced mid-term in a so-called chancellor swap, merz is under mounting pressure. The report also notes that and its leader quickly went on the offensive, declaring that he is going nowhere, this is a party that knows it’s in trouble. The report also notes that and likely won’t give it up easily, merz has long coveted the top job in German politics. The report also notes that with a final result expected later on Sunday night, or even Monday morning, polls for both states closed at 18:00 local time (17:00 BST). The report also notes that die Linke’s lead candidate in Berlin, Elif Eralp, celebrated as exit polls came in. The report also notes that adding that it was “not realistic to expect that every issue has been solved within one year, he described the electorate as “impatient”.
