- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suffered a severe political blow following state elections on Sunday, including a historic defeat for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the party secured just 5 per cent of the vote.
- The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved significant gains, taking first place in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 38.3 per cent ahead of the Social Democrats, while the Left party won in Berlin with 24.5 per cent, leaving the CDU in second place on 20 per cent.
- Describing the election outcomes as a disaster, Merz nevertheless rejected calls to step down, insisting he would demonstrate backbone and remain in post to press forward with essential reforms to Europe's largest economy.
- AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla condemned the Chancellor's refusal to resign as feeble, whereas Merz maintained that his planned economic and political measures would act as an antidote to the growing poison of authoritarianism.
- Amid mounting pressure within his party and following earlier electoral losses in Saxony-Anhalt, the 70-year-old leader has cancelled a scheduled trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to focus on navigating the domestic political crisis.
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