German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the result of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the local elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a disaster, where the conservatives are on the verge of entering the regional parliament, according to the first exit polls cited by world agencies and German media.
“We cannot embellish the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: it is a disaster“, Merz said at a press conference in Berlin. According to him, the CDU cannot return to the "good old days", and the party should take the result as a serious warning about the direction it is heading.
At the same time, the chancellor said that he had no intention of leaving either his post as CDU chairman or the chancellorship. "I want to move the country forward", he said, adding that this requires "firmness, endurance and patience".
According to an exit poll by public broadcaster ARD, the Christian Democrats are receiving around 5 percent in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - a result that would be the party's weakest in a state election in Germany since World War II. This means that the CDU barely passes the threshold to enter the state parliament.
The vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is a new test for Merz and for support for the federal government, after elections in eastern German states increased pressure on the ruling party and opened a new debate about the future of the CDU.
Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, ARD