Reuters
source: Reuters
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place in state elections in northeastern Germany on Sunday, voting projections showed, delivering the worst result for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s mainstream conservative party since 1949.
“It’s a disaster,” Merz said after exit polls were published, although he signalled he would fight on as chancellor and continue his reform agenda after speculation that a bad result could prompt him to resign.
The AfD was set to win 38.3% in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) at 35.4%, according to projections on ARD public television. Both parties were far ahead of Merz’s conservatives, who at the latest count had fallen to 4.9%, below the 5% threshold needed to enter the state parliament and indicating they may be excluded altogether.
Sunday’s result has given the AfD its second top-place finish this month at the state level. The party leads in national opinion polls but has been kept from power by the other main parties’ refusal to work with it.
In another election on Sunday in the capital Berlin, the far-left Linke party was at 25.3% while the vote share of Merz’s conservatives, who currently govern the state in a coalition with the Social Democrats, tumbled to 19%. The AfD also gained in strength in the typically liberal city, hitting 16.3%. It is the first time Linke has topped polls in the state, where it wants to nationalise housing from corporate landlords and cap rents.
