The far-right Alternative for Germany topped Sunday's state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 37% of the vote, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU barely crossed the 5% threshold for parliament. The result marks the CDU's worst state-level showing since 1949 and lands weeks after the AfD's breakthrough win in Saxony-Anhalt, deepening pressure on Merz's government.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 37% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, exit polls showed on Sunday, while Merz's Christian Democratic Union scraped past the threshold for parliamentary representation with 5.5%. According to Reuters: "It's a disaster," Merz said in televised remarks after the exit polls were published, though he signaled he would stay on as chancellor.
CDU's worst result since 1949
If confirmed, Sunday's result would be the worst state election for Merz's party since 1949. The CDU's Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania tally compares with 13% in the 2021 election, while the AfD more than doubled its own 2021 score. The governing Social Democrats held second place with 35.5%, down from 39.6% in 2021.
The vote follows the AfD's win in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6, where the party came close to an outright majority. That result has sent shock waves through Europe.
Berlin also swings away from the CDU
In Berlin's separate state election the same day, the hard-left Die Linke party took first place with 24.5%, more than double its 12% result in the 2023 election. Merz's CDU fell to second place with 20%, down from 28.2% in 2023, while the AfD rose to third with 16%, up from 9% previously.
Merz vows to press on
Merz has said he will press ahead with his reform agenda, including welfare, military and infrastructure changes, and last week received backing from eight conservative state premiers. But some CDU insiders warned that falling below the 5% threshold could trigger a full-blown leadership crisis, and the party's low approval ratings have left Merz's position in the balance.
Sources: Financial Times, Investing.com
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