German chancellor vows to stay in office despite calling state election results a 'disaster'
Friedrich Merz has said he will press ahead with his government’s reform plans despite increase pressure after a series of election defeats
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has described the results of two state elections as “a disaster” after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured victory in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
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Exit polls had suggested damaging results for Mr Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), with the party falling below the five per cent threshold needed to enter the state parliament.
The CDU received 4.9% of the vote in the latest count at Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its worst-ever result in a state election and below the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament. Mr Merz described the result as a “disaster”.
The AfD was set to win the largest share of the vote in the north-eastern state, taking around 38%, ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), who secured around 35%.
Sunday's result gave the AfD its second top-place finish at state level this month. The party is leading in national opinion polls but has been kept from power by the other major parties' refusal to work with it.
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Merz has said he will remain as Chancellor and continue with his government's reform plans, despite growing pressure following the election defeats.
His party suffered another setback in Berlin, where the CDU's vote share fell to 19%, putting it behind the far-left Linke, which secured 25.3%.
Echoing comments he made after that defeat, Merz told reporters at the party's Berlin headquarters on Sunday that he would forge ahead with his coalition government's plans to push through a package of economic, tax and welfare reforms.
"The reforms have to come," he insisted. "I am taking on this responsibility, because I want to move our country forward".
"What needs to be done now requires backbone, steadfastness and patience," Merz said. "I will demonstrate this as CDU party chairman and, above all, as chancellor of our country."
"I would even go so far as to say that these reforms are the antidote to the authoritarian poison that, with the fascination of authoritarianism, is penetrating ever deeper into our society," Merz added.
The AfD's national co-leader Alice Weidel said: "We are the strongest force and have reached the mainstream of the population."