German Chancellor Merz Says He Will Remain in Office Amid CDU Electoral Setbacks

Chancellor Friedrich Merz told senior members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Monday that he will not resign, arguing that his government must continue to address what he described as the country’s "democratic future." The remarks came after the CDU suffered defeats in two state elections, including a loss of parliamentary representation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) secured 38% of the vote.

The AfD’s top candidate in the state, Leif-Erik Holm, predicted that Merz would leave office within months, saying the "twilight of the chancellor’s era has begun." Merz rejected the notion that the results reflected a personal rebuke, stating that "the reasons for these election results go far beyond my own person" and pointing to a broader transformation of Germany’s party system.

In Berlin, the CDU fell to second place behind the left-wing Linke party, while in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania the Social Democratic Party (SPD) is expected to form a three-party coalition under incumbent state leader Manuela Schwesig. SPD deputy chancellor and finance minister Lars Klingbeil said the coalition must adapt its reform agenda to voter concerns, adding that ignoring the poll outcomes would be untenable.

Education minister and CDU deputy leader Karin Prien acknowledged criticism that the government had not sufficiently addressed public anxieties, but argued that reforms—such as changes to the pension system, bureaucracy reduction, and tax cuts for lower-income earners—are necessary amid economic weakness and global instability.

The Kremlin also commented on the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania results, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov linking the AfD’s success to German dissatisfaction over energy policy and rising prices.