German ‌Chancellor Friedrich Merz says state election result a 'disaster' but vows to stay in office

Under-pressure German ‌Chancellor Friedrich Merz has described a state election result as a "disaster" but vowed to stay in office.

Exit polls indicated that Mr Merz's centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came in with just 5% in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - the party's lowest result in any state since the Second World War.

Heavy losses are also expected in Berlin, where the CDU is projected to come in second with 20%, behind the Left party at 24.5%, according to the exit poll.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is predicted to have made significant gains in both elections - 37% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and 15.7% in Berlin.

Despite predicted gains, it is unlikely to be able to form a regional government.

The votes came two weeks after AfD won the regional election in the small eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, increasing pressure further on the German chancellor.

Mr Merz struck a defiant note in a statement shortly after the exit polls were announced, rejecting any retreat from his government's reform agenda.

He argued that Germany's economic and political problems made difficult and potentially unpopular reforms more urgent, not less, and pledged to press ahead.

"What needs to be done now requires backbone, steadfastness, and patience," he said, adding that "I will demonstrate these qualities as chairman of the CDU and, above all, as chancellor of our country".

A chancellor under fire

Mr Merz, 70, only became Germany's leader 16 months ago - with promises to turn around an economy that has barely grown in years - but has failed to lift a sullen national mood and has himself become deeply unpopular.

The strong showing of AfD in the Saxony-Anhalt election has further weakened the chancellor's national standing.

In the past two weeks there have been calls even from within his own party to replace him as chancellor, although no top-level allies have called publicly for his departure, and many have warned against "personnel debates".

Apparently anticipating a tough post-election period, the chancellor has abandoned a planned trip to New York next week to attend the UN General Assembly.

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Philipp Amthor, a prominent CDU figure from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania who now manages relations between the federal and state governments at the chancellery, said on Sunday night that one problem in the campaign had been "the difficult personnel discussions" of recent weeks - an apparent reference to the speculation about Mr Merz's future.

"It is good and right for these personnel discussions not to be continued now," he said.

However, speaking after the exit polls, AfD's national co-leader, Tino Chrupalla, told ZDF television that "the chancellor's statement today really was more than feeble. He announced that he'd carry on as before, instead of finally drawing the consequences and resigning".

(c) Sky News 2026: German ‌Chancellor Friedrich Merz says state election result a 'disaster' but vows to stay i