Merz vows to stay on as chancellor despite ‘disaster’ in another German regional vote
Chronological coverage
Latest6h agoMerkel sidesteps German conservatives’ election losses as pressure mounts on Merz
Merz has called the latest defeats a “disaster” and pledged to overhaul the CDU’s platform.
POLITICO Europe•Milena Wälde
Follow-up11h agoMerz’s election setback: What it means for Germany?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CDU representatives held a press conference on Monday, September 21, after the party suffered its worst regional election defeat in postwar Germany. Merz called the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a “disaster”, as the CDU fell below the 5% threshold for entering the state parliament. Helmut Schmidt fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the US, Markus Ziener, shares further details.
France 24•FRANCE24
Follow-up12h agoGermany’s Merz hits out at ‘destructive’ forces as he fights for survival
Chancellor defensive after AfD’s second electoral victory in the east and far left wins in Berlin
Financial Times
Follow-up13h agoREPLAY: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in post-vote comments
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CDU representatives held a press conference on Monday, September 21, after the party suffered its worst regional election defeat in postwar Germany. Merz called the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a “disaster”, as the CDU fell below the 5% threshold for entering the state parliament. According to FRANCE 24 Europe editor Armen Georgian, Merz and his party’s Berlin candidate, Stefan Evers, offered no concrete solutions to address the historic defeat, despite pledging to keep the coalition together in the name of a “democratic future.”
Follow-up14h agoGerman chancellor meets CDU leaders to shore up support after more defeats
Friedrich Merz clinging to power after Christian Democratic Union loses two state elections Europe live – latest updates Germany’s beleaguered leader, Friedrich Merz, has sought to shore up support for his flagging chancellorship among senior members of his conservative party after its drubbing at the polls in two state elections. Merz, who has vowed his fractious coalition government will plough ahead with an unpopular reform agenda, held an early meeting in Berlin with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)’s leadership on Monday. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Kate Connolly in Berlin
Follow-up15h agoRegional losses for Germany's ruling CDU
Another electoral setback for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his centre-right CDU performed poorly in two state elections on Sunday. Projections showed the party failing to enter the state parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the far-right AfD came out on top, while the far-left Die Linke led the vote in Berlin. The AfD also made significant gains in both states, building on its recent victory in Saxony-Anhalt. France 24 Europe editor Armen Georgian shares further insights.
Follow-up16h agoMerz ‘fighting for political survival’ as AfD takes another state and The Left wins Berlin
Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke to press just minutes after polls revealed massive CDU losses. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party failed to make the five-percent threshold. In Berlin, where the party had held power, it was thrashed by the Left.
EUobserver•Soňa Weissová
Follow-up16h agoLatest German election humiliation puts Merz on borrowed time as CDU unrest grows
Chancellor acknowledges disastrous state election results but vow to push on is likely to further alienate voters, and his own party Friedrich Merz called it a “disaster”, and that was even before the full scale of the catastrophe for himself and his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came into view after Sunday’s state elections . In what one outlet called a “power move” , the German chancellor made a highly unusual televised speech just minutes after polls closed in the states of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, attempting to get ahead of the narrative with a pledge to stay on and fight for his economic recovery programme . Continue reading...
The Guardian•Deborah Cole in Berlin
Follow-up16h agoAfD surges as Merz’s CDU suffers regional elections setback
Another electoral setback for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his centre-right CDU performed poorly in two state elections on Sunday. Projections showed the party failing to enter the state parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the far-right AfD came out on top, while the far-left Die Linke led the vote in Berlin. The AfD also made significant gains in both states, building on its recent victory in Saxony-Anhalt. Nick Rushworth reports.
Follow-up18h agoMerz insists he will stay as German chancellor despite heavy losses in state elections – Europe live
CDU suffered heavy losses in two regional elections, including in home state of former leader Angela Merkel, where it polled just 4.9% Good morning and welcome to our Europe live blog, where we’ll start in Germany after a bruising night for Friedrich Merz’s party. The German chancellor is staring down pressure over his leadership and authority after the CDU suffered heavy losses in two regional elections. For the first time in 77 years, it’s failed to enter a state parliament, in the former East German state of Mecklenburg- Vorpummen. This was the home state of former CDU chancellor Angela Merkel; the party there last night pulled just 4.9% of the vote, losing more than half of its support. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Frances Mao
Follow-up18h agoGermany: CDU suffers a crushing defeat in the regional elections
Germany’s regional elections delivered mixed results for the country’s major parties. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right AfD won the largest share of the vote, but remains isolated as other parties have ruled out coalition talks, leaving incumbent SPD premier Manuela Schwesig with a realistic path to forming a government. In Berlin, meanwhile, the Left Party came out on top and could potentially form a coalition with the Greens and SPD. The CDU, however, performed poorly in both elections, putting additional pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his conservative bloc. Speaking after the results, France 24 correspondent Jörg Taszman reported that Merz said his government would “continue with the reforms” and that “Germany will be better,” urging supporters not to focus only on what has gone wrong.
Follow-up20h agoFive takeaways from Germany's regional elections after far-right gains
Sunday's elections in two German states resulted in the defeat of the country's ruling CDU, a result described as a “disaster” by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the northeast of the country, the far-right AfD became the strongest party while the hard-left Die Linke led the polls in Berlin.
Follow-up20 Sept, 21:20German state elections deal a blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz
Elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have dealt the CDU a historic defeat while the AfD saw a massive gain. The pressure on Germany's unpopular chancellor is mounting.
Deutsche Welle
Follow-up20 Sept, 20:42Why Merz is staying on as German chancellor after election 'disaster'
Berlin correspondent Jess Parker explains why German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay on despite exit polls in two local elections suggesting damaging defeats for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
BBC- Follow-up20 Sept, 20:08
Merz stumbles on after another big election defeat. But for how long?
Pressure is growing on the German chancellor, with the hard-right AfD party projected to win key state elections, delivering the worst result for his conservative CDU party since 1949.
The Sydney Morning Herald•James Crisp 
Follow-up20 Sept, 18:47Germany’s Merz vows to press on with reforms after historic state election defeat
The 70-year-old leader took office 16 months ago with promises to reignite an economy stalled for years
The Independent•Kirsten Grieshaber
Follow-up20 Sept, 18:33Friedrich Merz vows to stay in office after CDU ‘disaster’ in German state elections
Far-right AfD wins in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and leftwing Die Linke on course for victory in Berlin Germany’s embattled chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has vowed to stay in office and fight for future-proofing economic changes despite heavy losses for his conservatives in two state elections, one to the far right and the other to a leftwing party. Preliminary results indicated Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) tallied just over the 5% threshold to enter the state parliament in the coastal region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its worst-ever state score, which he called a “disaster”. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Deborah Cole in Berlin
Follow-up20 Sept, 17:48Germany's Merz vows to press on with reforms despite state election losses to far-right AfD
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a bruising electoral setback in two state elections on Sunday, including a historic defeat for his party, but vowed to press ahead with potentially painful reforms to Europe's biggest economy.
CBC News
Follow-up20 Sept, 17:29Germany's Merz vows to press ahead with reforms after historic state election defeat
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has faced a major electoral setback in two state elections, with his center-right party losing ground. The far-right Alternative for Germany party made significant gains.
NPR•The Associated Press
Follow-up20 Sept, 16:23Germany’s Merz admits ‘disaster’ in state elections, vows to press ahead with reforms
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday described his CDU party's heavy losses in two regional elections as a "disaster", but vowed to push ahead with a reform drive. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party took first place in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, exit polls showed, and also gained in strength in another election in Berlin.
First seen20 Sept, 16:12Merz vows to stay on as chancellor despite ‘disaster’ in another German regional vote
The far-right AfD won its second regional election in two weeks, piling pressure on the country's center-right leader
