After far-right AfD win, Germany’s embattled chancellor faces more election tests

Chancellor Friedrich Merz braces for potential double election blow this weekend as pressure mounts on his leadership

Two German state elections Sunday could deal a double blow to embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz, two weeks after his party suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of the far-right AfD.

Tight races for power – each with their own unique electoral dynamics – are expected in the city state of Berlin and the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The Alternative for Germany is expected to make strong gains in both, a fortnight after it trounced Merz’s centre-right CDU by a margin of almost 44 to 17 per cent in the ex-communist eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The AfD triumph badly rattled Merz and fuelled speculation that the 70-year-old leader, who took power in May last year, may not sit out the end of his four-year term as leader of Europe’s top economy.