German voters head to polls in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania amid CDU challenges
Around 3.8 million voters in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will cast ballots on Sunday, with the Christian Democratic Union facing stiff competition from the AfD and Die Linke.
Voters in Berlin and the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are set to vote on Sunday, a test that could shape Chancellor Friedrich Merz's political standing. About 2.5 million eligible voters are in Berlin and roughly 1.3 million in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with polling stations open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the contest centers on a race between the Social Democratic Party's state premier Manuela Schwesig and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate Leif-Erik Holm. The AfD is polling at 36 percent, the SPD at 37 percent, while the CDU trails at about 6 percent, near the 5 percent threshold required for representation in the state parliament, according to public broadcaster ZDF.
In Berlin, the CDU faces a close competition from the left-wing Die Linke, which is campaigning on measures to address the city's housing crisis and has attracted support among younger voters. A loss in either state would add to recent setbacks for Merz, who recently convened a crisis meeting of the CDU after the party's defeat in Saxony-Anhalt.
The outcomes are being watched beyond Germany, as the AfD's recent gains in Saxony-Anhalt have been interpreted by some analysts as an early indicator of its ambitions for the federal election scheduled for 2029.