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Exit polls broadcast by public broadcaster ARD showed the Alternative for Germany winning 37 percent in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sunday compared with 35.5 percent for the Social Democrats and just 5.5 percent for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union. The result would mark the CDU’s worst performance in any state election since 1949, according to Reuters correspondents covering the northeastern state’s vote. In Berlin, the far-left Linke took 24.5 percent while the CDU secured 20 percent and the AfD reached 16 percent, the same ARD data indicated. Merz acknowledged the setbacks in televised comments shortly after the polls closed.
The chancellor described the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania outcome as a disaster yet signaled he would continue in his post, a stance he has maintained since his party’s heavy defeat in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks earlier. In that Sept. 6 contest the AfD captured nearly 44 percent while the CDU fell to 17 percent, its weakest showing in the eastern state since German reunification, Euronews reported. Merz told reporters that giving up was not an option and his determination to pursue reforms remained unbroken. The 70-year-old leader, in office for 16 months, had promised to revive an economy that has barely grown in years.
Public opinion surveys have reflected deep dissatisfaction with Merz’s coalition, with an Infratest Dimap poll cited by multiple outlets placing his personal satisfaction rating at 13 percent in September. The AfD, which mainstream parties continue to shun through a so-called firewall policy, has topped national polls while gaining in successive regional votes. In both Sunday’s contests other parties are expected to form governments that exclude the far-right group, a pattern that held after the Saxony-Anhalt result where it fell short of an absolute majority.
Merz canceled a planned appearance at the United Nations General Assembly to focus on the fallout and scheduled a meeting with CDU leadership, according to the Associated Press. He has argued that Germany’s economic challenges make his reform agenda covering pensions, healthcare and fiscal policy more necessary rather than less. Eight CDU state premiers issued a joint statement last week urging an end to speculation about his future and emphasizing stability, a BBC report noted ahead of the latest ballots.
Analysts following the results cautioned that repeated setbacks could test Merz’s authority within his own party even if no senior figures have publicly called for his replacement. The CDU’s poor performance in traditionally conservative-leaning areas has been linked to voter frustration over rising costs and migration, topics the AfD has emphasized. Merz has rejected any cooperation with the AfD, describing it as a destructive force that threatens core democratic values.
The latest votes come as the AfD seeks to build on its recent eastern gains and position itself for the next federal election due in 2029. Regional outcomes do not directly alter the national coalition but have amplified questions about the chancellor’s ability to deliver on pledges to boost growth and address security concerns. Merz has insisted that his government’s course on supporting Ukraine and maintaining distance from Russia will not shift despite the AfD’s pro-Moscow platform attracting voters in the east.
