German chancellor Merz pledges to combat extremism after far-right and far-left election gains

Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that political extremism is increasingly entering Germany’s parliaments after recent local elections saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the far-left Left Party make gains. The AfD secured the presidency of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, and the Left Party won the Berlin state election, doubling its previous vote share.

"This is a task for our society as a whole, and it is one I intend to play my part in," Merz said at an event in Berlin.

"Anyone who casts their vote for the AfD is playing the extremists' game and undermining credibility," he added, stressing that such support is incompatible with the values of his Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt fell short of an absolute majority, but its lawmaker Tobias Rausch was elected parliament president with backing from left-populist members in a secret ballot. The party, founded in 2013 as a Eurosceptic movement, has shifted toward a stricter anti-immigration stance and now holds significant influence in eastern Germany, though mainstream parties have ruled out coalition agreements with it.

In Berlin, Left Party candidate Elif Eralp campaigned on high housing costs and pledged to nationalise private housing associations, a policy supported by a 2021 referendum. Her potential mayoral win would mark the first time the Left Party leads the capital.

A recent ARD poll showed Merz’s approval at just 10 percent, the lowest for any German chancellor since the survey began in 1997. The next major test for his government will be the state election in North Rhine-Westphalia scheduled for April.