Latest

Friedrich Merz vows to stay in office after CDU ‘disaster’ in German state elections

The Guardian UK · 20 September 2026 at 19:33

Friedrich Merz vows to stay in office after CDU ‘disaster’ in German state elections

Far-right AfD wins in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and leftwing Die Linke on course for victory in Berlin Germany’s embattled chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has vowed to stay in office and fight for future-proofing economic reforms despite heavy losses for his conservatives in two state elections, one to the far right and the other to a leftwing party.

Preliminary results indicated Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) tallied just over the 5% threshold to enter the state parliament in the coastal region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its worst-ever state score, which he called a “disaster”.

Read the full article on The Guardian UK ›

5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.theguardian.com — the content belongs to The Guardian UK.

Friedrich Merz vows to stay in office after CDU ‘disaster’ in German state elections

More from The Guardian UK

Labour wins Holborn and St Pancras byelection; Polanski ‘absolutely’ intends to remain Green party leader – UK politics live

Tories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet error

New-build homes for first-time buyers in England – in pictures

The Queerest of Folk by Russell T Davies review – the groundbreaking screenwriter tells it like it is

More in Latest

Cosmic Connection and Lord Byron clash in the Persian War

Cowboys suffer shock home loss to Buccaneers

Golf leaderboards: Open de Espana, Baycurrent Classic and more

Man Utd held back as Spurs spent big - Different strategies collide on Saturday

Nuno on West Ham's bright start and being back in the Championship

Hunter Bell celebrates in Team GB's 'glam' female track success