IN BRIEF: What we know about AfD, Left Party victories, CDU defeat in Germany’s elections

MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the ruling party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has not cleared the 5% threshold in elections held in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on September 20 and has not entered the state parliament for the first time ever, according to the regional election committee’s preliminary data published after all ballots had been processed.

The Left Party, considered a successor to the ruling party of former East Germany, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), has won elections to the Berlin House of Representatives (the state parliament) for the first time ever, the city’s election committee reported.

- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU has not entered the state parliament for the first time ever in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament elections held on September 20.

- The party won only 4.9% of votes and did not clear the 5% threshold required to enter the state parliament, according to preliminary official data published by the regional election committee after counting all ballots.

- The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won the election with 38.2% of votes.

- The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) came in second with 35.5% of votes.

- The Left Party garnered support from 6.5% of voters, followed by the Greens with 5.7%. The BSW party (previously known as the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - Reason and Justice) was on the verge of the threshold required to enter the state parliament, but received only 4.8% of votes in the end.

- The party has never received less than 5% of votes, with the CDU always winning seats in state parliaments.

- For the AfD, the victory in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern marks its third state election win, following previous successes in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.

- The party advocates restoring ties with Russia, lifting sanctions and resuming gas supplies, demanding an end to arms deliveries to Kiev.

- The Left Party, the successor to former East Germany’s ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), emerged victorious in Berlin House of Representatives elections for the first time.

- The party garnered 25.7% of votes, the city’s election committee reported.

- The AfD received support from 16.3% of voters, followed by the Greens with 14.3% and the SPD with 12.1%.

- The BSW party secured 4.7% of votes and could not enter the House of Representatives.