Merz calls German state election results a disaster as CDU crashes and AfD surges
Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay as chancellor after the CDU suffered heavy state election losses, with the far-right AfD winning Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the CDU below 5% there.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Voters in two German states have delivered a severe setback to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his Christian Democratic Union, with the far-right Alternative for Germany set to win one state and the CDU falling below the threshold needed to enter its parliament.
The elections took place in Berlin and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, exit polls and projections put the AfD on 37%, while the CDU was on just 5.5%. That is the party's worst state election result since 1949. It also means the CDU has failed to clear the 5% threshold and will not have seats in the regional parliament. The result is a first for the party in post-war Germany.
In Berlin, the far-left Die Linke is projected to emerge as the largest party with 24.5%, ahead of the CDU on 20% and the AfD on 16%. The AfD doubled its share of the vote there. The CDU could lose regional power if Die Linke forms a coalition with other left-leaning parties. One projection suggested the result could bring Berlin its first mayor of Turkish origin.
Merz described the outcome as a disaster. He said the reasons went far beyond him and spoke of a profound transformation of Germany's party system. He vowed to stay on as chancellor and CDU leader, saying his reform programme needed a strong spine, steadfastness and patience. He cancelled a planned trip to the UN General Assembly in New York. He has been meeting senior party figures and faces further talks with the parliamentary group.
The results add to pressure that has been building for months. The AfD won a landslide in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks ago, where the CDU's vote halved. The AfD is now topping national polls, while Germany's economy continues to stutter. Voters have cited immigration, the cost of living and the economy as major concerns. Merz's personal approval ratings are very low, around 13% according to one estimate, and there has been speculation about a chancellor swap.
No rival has publicly challenged Merz. CDU state premiers issued a letter of support, saying it was not the time to discuss personnel changes. A possible challenger, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, has not moved against him. Party figures say the next 48 hours will be crucial. Some in the conservative camp have discussed replacing Merz, breaking away from the Social Democrats, or opening talks with the AfD. Others have discussed trying to ban the AfD.
The AfD is unlikely to govern in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania because other parties refuse to work with it. The party is anti-immigration and Russia-friendly. Parts of it are classed as right-wing extremist by domestic intelligence, a label the party rejects. The so-called firewall against the AfD remains a signature policy for the CDU, although the debate about it has intensified.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the centre-left SPD had hoped to rally anti-AfD voters behind state premier Manuela Schwesig, who has been billed as Frau Gegenblau, or the woman against blue. In Berlin, local issues such as dirt and rubbish on the streets featured alongside national concerns. Merz also thanked the SPD for staying in the federal ruling coalition, and the government is expected to press on with economic and pension reforms.
Germany is Europe's largest economy and a key anchor of the EU. The instability comes amid worries about Russian aggression and global insecurity. Merz's absence from the UN General Assembly has added to questions about his standing abroad, while other European leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron, face domestic pressure of their own.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One | Channel 4 | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exit polls and projections reported heavy CDU losses in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with the AfD strong in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Die Linke projected first in Berlin. | |||||
| The CDU is at risk of losing power in Berlin. | |||||
| Merz said he would carry on and planned to meet senior party figures. | · | ||||
| Voters went to the polls in two German states in elections that could weaken Merz's position. | · | ||||
| Merz cancelled a planned trip to the UN General Assembly in New York as pressure grew on his leadership. | · | · | |||
| There were rumours Merz could be replaced, but no open challenger had emerged within his party. | · | · | · | ||
| Merz described the state election result as a disaster. | · | · | · | · | |
| Reports projected the AfD to win the most votes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania while the CDU risked failing to enter the state parliament. | · | · | · | · | |
| The AfD won a landslide in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks earlier. | · | · | · | · | |
| The Berlin election result could lead to the city's first mayor of Turkish origin. | · | · | · | · | |
| The CDU did not reach the 5% threshold required to enter the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state parliament. | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News gave the story rolling coverage and treated it as a leadership crisis for Friedrich Merz. It combined correspondent reports from Berlin with studio analysis on whether the CDU could replace him, whether the firewall against the AfD would hold, and what the results mean for Germany's stability. It also highlighted the symbolic cancellation of his UN General Assembly trip and the risk that the CDU could miss the 5% threshold in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
- “He's cancelled plans to attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this week as speculation grows about his own future.”
- “The poorer the result, the more speculation will grow that the CDU could try to oust its leader.”
- “if the CDU indeed does not make it into the state parliament then that could reverse everything that I just said right now.”
BBC ONE West led with the question of whether Merz could survive and used correspondent Jessica Parker's reporting to stress the historic scale of the CDU's collapse. Its coverage leaned on voter voices and scenes from election night to convey anger, gloom and the sense that Germany's stability is under strain. It also linked the domestic drama to Germany's role as Europe's largest economy and a key anchor of the continent.
- “The question Germany's been asking can Chancellor Friedrich Merz survive”
- “A country that prides itself on stability and is a key anchor of Europe is in an anxious state”
- “He's arrogant, out of touch, not on the same level as the general public.”
Channel 4 focused on the severity of the CDU losses and the wider crisis of establishment parties. It gave precise exit poll figures, interviewed a German Marshall Fund expert, and framed the result as a historic blow that could damage Merz on the world stage. Its later coverage noted that Merz thanked the SPD for staying in the coalition, underlining the government's fragility.
- “It's a disaster. The answer cannot be a return to the good old days.”
- “The shock is the weakness of the CDU.”
- “Merz is at an interesting juncture right now because he was hoping for a season of reform. Instead, he's facing a season of reckoning.”
ITV1 gave the story a short anchor read rather than a full package. It focused on Merz's refusal to step down, the projected 5% vote for the CDU in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and the expected second-place finish in Berlin. It noted the AfD's gains but did not explore the coalition arithmetic, the Die Linke result, or the wider pressure on Merz in detail.
- “German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he has no plans to step down Despite two more defeats in state elections”
- “Exit polls predict Merz's CDU party will win just 5% of the vote in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania”
- “The far-right Alternative for Germany party has made more significant gains”
Sky News combined a clear results summary with analysis from its Europe correspondent. It stressed the historic nature of the CDU's failure to clear the 5% threshold in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the fact that the AfD is unlikely to govern because other parties refuse to work with it. It also highlighted that Merz has no open challenger despite deep unhappiness in his party.
- “It's a disaster. What needs to be done now requires backbone, steadfastness and patience.”
- “For the first time ever, they've failed to get above the 5% threshold”
- “there's no one actually putting their head above the parapet and challenging him.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.