The latest estimated results after the elections in the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern give 4.9% to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party, the Christian Democratic Union. This leaves them below the line for the local parliament.
Failure in both Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin
Never in the history of the Christian Democratic Union, which was founded in 1945 immediately after World War II, has this happened.
At the same time, in Berlin the party remained in second place with 19% of the vote, which is a loss of 9.2% compared to the previous elections in 2021. The left, which the CDU perceives as an ideological opponent, is categorically first with 25.3%. There, the Christian Democrats could also be left out of government if the Left, the Greens and the Social Democrats form a coalition.
Will Merz bear responsibility?
Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared the results "catastrophic" even before it became clear that his party would most likely not be represented in the Landtag in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. However, he said he planned to continue implementing the government's program.
At the same time, the voices demanding his resignation are growing. Immediately after the failure of the elections in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks ago, where the "Alternative for Germany" registered a record victory, representatives of the party's youth organization said that the CDU could not win elections with this leadership. These calls are expected to increase in the coming days.