German Far-Right Party Wins Two Consecutive Local Elections... Chancellor Merz Faces Resignation Pressure

Ruling CDU Ousted from State Parliament Elections
Far-Right AfD Surges
"Germany's New People's Party"

Associated Press Yonhap News

The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has achieved two consecutive victories in state parliamentary elections held in the former East German regions. In contrast, the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered a crushing defeat, failing to win a single seat in those regions. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is facing mounting calls to take responsibility, has stated he has no intention to resign.

According to Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s public broadcaster, on September 20 (local time), the AfD topped the polls in the state legislative elections held that day in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, securing 38.2% of the votes in provisional results released by the election commission. This marks yet another victory for the AfD in state elections in the former East German region, following its win in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) came in second with 35.5% of the votes.

In contrast, the CDU’s vote share fell to just 4.9%. Under state election rules, parties that fail to garner at least 5% of the vote are not awarded any seats and are left outside the parliament. This is the first time the CDU has been ousted from the state parliament after falling short of the required vote percentage.

The CDU also suffered a defeat in the Berlin state parliamentary elections held on the same day. In Berlin, the far-left party Die Linke took the lead with 25.7%, while the CDU came in second with 18.8%. The AfD finished third with 16%.

Chancellor Merz has been plunged into a political crisis by these election defeats. At a press conference held at the CDU headquarters that day, Merz described the election results as a "catastrophe," saying, "Change requires strength. Not everyone will applaud, and it will take time to achieve results in some areas." Despite mounting pressure from both inside and outside the party to step down, he firmly stated, "I have no intention of resigning." It is also reported that in order to deal with this electoral defeat, Merz has canceled his planned attendance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22.

However, many in the German political sphere believe the pressure for Merz to resign is unlikely to subside. DW pointed out, "This election was seen as an indirect confidence vote on Chancellor Merz, and it ended in complete defeat," adding, "There is now an even higher possibility that Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the AfD, could emerge as the next chancellor."

Co-leader Weidel also announced at a press conference that she intends to run as a candidate for chancellor. At the conference, she stated, "AfD is now Germany’s new people's party, replacing the CDU," and claimed, "I do not think the CDU can continue moving forward with such a weak chancellor as Merz."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.