Exit-poll projections put the AfD ahead of the SPD in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, giving the party a second first-place state finish this month as Chancellor Friedrich Merz vows to remain in office despite mounting pressure on his CDU.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.

The Alternative for Germany was projected Sunday to finish first in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, extending a run of state-level gains that has intensified political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz after another difficult election for his Christian Democratic Union.

Initial projections from public broadcaster ZDF placed the AfD at 38% in the northeastern state, narrowly ahead of the Social Democratic Party at 36.5%, according to election coverage from Die Welt. The result would mark the AfD’s second first-place finish in a German state election in September following its victory in Saxony-Anhalt earlier in the month.

The CDU and Die Linke were both hovering near or above the 5% threshold required to secure representation in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania parliament as votes were counted. Later projections showed the CDU moving directly along that threshold, leaving its representation in the legislature uncertain during the evening count.

The result placed Merz under renewed scrutiny, but the chancellor said Sunday evening that he would not resign.

Addressing the outcome after the first projections were released, Merz described the CDU’s performance in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as a “disaster” while arguing that his government should continue pursuing its agenda.

“Change takes strength. Not all of it will be applauded. In some areas the results will only appear after some time. We take on this responsibility, I take on this responsibility because I want to move our country forward,” Merz said.

The chancellor had spent part of Sunday at CDU headquarters in Berlin amid discussions over the party’s performance and his leadership following a succession of poor electoral results. Party leaders were expected to continue assessing the consequences of the state elections after the vote.

Germany’s other major election Sunday delivered another setback for the CDU. In Berlin, Die Linke was projected at approximately 26%, placing it ahead of the CDU at about 20%. The results left the CDU behind the leading party in both elections held Sunday.

AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla called his party’s showing in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a “sensational result” and said voters had “clearly gave the AfD a mandate to govern.”

Chrupalla also called for Merz to resign, saying such a move would provide some “relief” to Germany.

Winning the largest share of the vote does not automatically ensure that the AfD will lead the next state government. Other parties could attempt to assemble a governing arrangement without the AfD, including a potential SPD-led minority government. A comparable question over government formation has followed the AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt.

The Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania result follows the CDU’s loss to the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt earlier in September, a defeat that had already increased pressure on Merz inside Germany’s governing establishment. The latest elections now give the AfD two first-place state finishes within the same month.

Merz’s political difficulties have also been reflected in national polling during his first 16 months as chancellor.

His dissatisfaction rating had previously reached 85%, exceeding the 76% disapproval recorded for former Chancellor Olaf Scholz before last year’s election. More recent polling has shown an additional deterioration in Merz’s numbers.

An RTL/ntv Trendbarometer conducted Sept. 8-14 found that just 10% of respondents were satisfied with Merz’s performance while 88% were dissatisfied. The same survey placed the AfD at 27% nationally and the CDU/CSU at 20%, giving the AfD a seven-point advantage. The polling was based on 2,502 respondents and carried a statistical margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. The national polling also showed the CDU/CSU at its lowest level in that survey series since October 2021.

Merz entered government after the federal election by forming a coalition with the SPD rather than seeking cooperation with the AfD. The arrangement maintained the longstanding political “firewall” under which the CDU has rejected governing cooperation with the AfD.

That coalition has required Merz and the CDU to negotiate major legislation with the SPD, producing disagreements over several policies associated with the CDU’s governing agenda, including government spending, tax reductions and immigration.

The arrangement has also become a central issue in Germany’s broader political debate because parties that compete against one another during elections must still assemble parliamentary majorities after voting concludes. The AfD’s growth has made that process increasingly difficult in states where other parties continue to rule out cooperation with it.

The AfD, founded in 2013, has meanwhile expanded its support at both the state and national levels. The latest national polling showing the party at 27% compared with 20% for the CDU/CSU came before Sunday’s elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The immediate question in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania now turns to the final composition of the state parliament and whether other parties can assemble enough seats to form a government without the AfD.

For Merz, Sunday’s results add another state-level setback to the CDU’s September losses while leaving him facing calls from political opponents to step aside. The chancellor, however, has made clear that he intends to remain in office and continue pursuing his government’s program despite the election results.

Original article