Exit polls showed Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party suffering heavy losses in two German state elections on Sunday.
Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union is projected to fall to 5.5% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a largely rural state in Germany’s formerly communist east. That would be its worst result there since World War II.
In Berlin, the CDU is projected to finish second with 20% of the vote, trailing the Left Party at 24.5%, according to an exit poll by the public broadcaster ARD.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) made significant gains in Sunday's regional elections. The vote came two weeks after the AfD finished just short of an absolute majority in the small eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, marking its best chance yet of forming the country’s first far-right regional government since the Second World War.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz, 70, assumed leadership of Germany 16 months ago, pledging to revitalise an economy that has stalled for years. However, he has failed to lift a sullen national mood and has seen his personal popularity plunge.
The AfD's strong showing in Saxony-Anhalt has further damaged the chancellor's standing nationally, sparking calls from within his own party over the past fortnight to replace him. Although no top-level allies have publicly demanded his resignation, many have warned against opening divisive internal personnel debates.
Apparently anticipating a challenging post-election period, Merz abandoned a planned trip to New York next week to attend the UN General Assembly.
Speaking after the publication of the exit polls, Merz stated that he intends to remain leader of the CDU and chancellor until the end of his term.
"The reforms have to come," 70-year-old Merz said. "I am taking on this responsibility because I want to move our country forward."
