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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed on Sunday to remain in office and continue pursuing reforms after his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered a major defeat in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Speaking at CDU headquarters in Berlin after projections were released by public broadcaster ARD, Merz acknowledged the scale of the setback but dismissed speculation that he would step down as party leader or chancellor.
“We cannot play down the result in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; it is a disaster,” Merz said, according to ARD. “The CDU fought hard, but ultimately, the party was ground down by the intense polarization between the SPD and the AfD.”
AfD narrowly leads SPD
ARD projections put the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) at 37.3% in the northeastern state, narrowly ahead of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), which received 35.5%.
Merz’s CDU fell to 5.3%, its worst performance in any state election since the Federal Republic of Germany was established. The result also put the party’s return to the state parliament at risk.
Chancellor promises reforms
Merz said Germany needed serious reforms to put the country back on track, adding that his coalition government had already made significant efforts in that direction.
“What now needs to be done requires backbone, steadfastness, and patience. I will demonstrate these qualities as chairman of the CDU and, above all, as chancellor of our country,” he said.
