The German states of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern held closely watched elections yesterday, in which the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered a historic election loss. However, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that he would not resign and would continue reforms, BTA writes in its press review.
Great Britain
German Chancellor Merz vowed to stay in office despite the "disastrous" in regional elections, the British newspaper "Financial Times" headlines.
The results show that the CDU will fall out of the parliament of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the publication adds.
German Chancellor Merz pledged last night to stay in office to continue with reforms, despite heavy losses for his CDU party and increased support for the far right and far left in regional elections.
Merz's conservatives won only 4.9 percent of the vote in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - the party's worst result in any state election in Germany's post-war history. The far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfG) doubled its election result and became the largest party in the parliament of the former East German state, the British edition notes.
The result means that the CDU will not win a single seat in the regional parliament, according to preliminary results from the provincial electoral authorities.
In a statement minutes after the vote closed yesterday, Merz, who has a record low approval rating, sought to refute speculation that the setbacks would trigger an immediate leadership crisis after weeks of growing discontent in his party.
"This is a catastrophe," Merz said of the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - the home state of former CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The result, he added, was a reaction to his government's necessary economic reforms, which he will seek to continue to achieve "prosperity".
"Reforms must be implemented", Merz said, adding: "What needs to be done requires firmness, steadfastness and patience. I will demonstrate this as party leader of the CDU and, especially, as chancellor of our country".
The losses for Merz's party come two weeks after the AfG's shock victory in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right party is now trying to form its first state government.
The latest results risk emboldening critics of the CDU, who blame Merz's low personal approval ratings and are seeking a change at the top of the party.
Some sources in inner circles of the CDU told the "Financial Times" last week that falling below the 5 percent threshold for representation in the parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania could become a catalyst for the election of a new party leader and even a new chancellor.
Merz called a meeting of the party leadership in Berlin last night to discuss the conclusions of the election and try to solidify his loyalty.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a state with a population of 1.5 million, the AfD won 38.2 percent of the vote, an increase of 17 percentage points, according to preliminary results. The ruling Social Democrats came in second with 35.5 percent, down from 39.6 percent in 2021, the Financial Times said.
In the capital state of Berlin, the CDU is expected to fall to second place with less than 19 percent of the vote, down from 28.2 percent in the previous election in 2023.
"The Left" - a far-left party that has promised to expropriate corporate-owned properties in the German capital - came in first with an estimated 25.7 percent.
The party, which also capitalized on concerns about the rise of the far right, doubled its tally from the 12 percent it won in 2023. The AfD came in third in Berlin with more than 16 percent, up from 9 percent previously.
The hugely unpopular Merz is fighting for his political survival after a series of humiliating election defeats this year, another British newspaper, the "Guardian", wrote.
Speculation about his ability to hold on to the chancellorship reached a peak after the AfD regional organization in Saxony-Anhalt crushed the CDU, achieving a record 44 percent in elections two weeks ago.
The result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was the third time that the AfD has emerged as the strongest party in a state, although it seems likely that the party will remain excluded from power in the state due to the "firewall" of non-cooperation with it that the other main parties adhere to, the Guardian notes.
Merz said the German economy was facing "deep turmoil" while public discourse had become "sharper and more uncompromising".
"Trust in our country's institutions is declining and is being actively undermined by radical parties on both the left and the right," he said.
"Germany is capable of reform. "I would even go so far as to say that these reforms are the antidote to the poison of authoritarianism, which is penetrating deeper into our society, while the appeal of authoritarianism is growing," Merz added.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the state premier from the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), Manuela Schwesig, distanced herself during the election campaign from a key change to the pension system supported by her party in Merz's coalition government.
She is expected to retain power in a left-leaning coalition even if the AfD comes out on top after all votes are counted. Despite leading in the polls for months, the far-right has failed to muster enough support to govern alone, and other parties have ruled out working with it.
The confirmed victory of the "Left" party in Berlin, where the far-left party has called for the expropriation of corporate property to combat rising housing costs, could make its candidate Elif Eralp the capital's first mayor of Turkish origin, the Guardian reports.
USA
Merz vows to remain chancellor despite "disastrous" election results in another German state, headlines Politico.
German Chancellor Merz and his conservatives suffered a second major defeat at the hands of the far-right AfD party in regional elections yesterday - a result Merz described as "a disaster.".
However, the chancellor was quick to calm growing speculation that he would step down after the loss, which comes just two weeks after another historic defeat by the AfD in regional elections. He appeared before the cameras just minutes after the polls closed last night to say he would continue to push through his reforms and be a pillar of stability in these turbulent times for the country, notes "Politico".
The chancellor's program includes raising the retirement age to strengthen the pension system, cutting some health insurance benefits to limit the growth of premiums, and tightening the conditions for workers to take sick leave in an attempt to stimulate economic growth.
The burden of these reforms falls on ordinary voters, which gives the far right and far left ample opportunities to exploit public discontent, points out "Politico".
Despite the AfD's victory in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the party has no chance of governing in the province, partly because of its good performance of the SPD under the leadership of provincial premier Manuela Schwesig, who presented herself during the elections as a bulwark against the far right, using the slogan "Woman against blue", a reference to the AfG party color.
Schwesig is now likely to head a new coalition government in the province with a coalition of left-wing parties.
CDU leaders have accused Schwesig's approach of effectively turning the elections in her province into a two-party race, significantly weakening Merz's conservatives. "The CDU fought hard but was ultimately crushed in the escalating confrontation between the SPD and AfD, Merz said.
However, Schweizig accused Merz and the CDU of failing to connect with voters, and managed to close the AfD's lead late in the election race largely because he attacked Merz as someone who had lost touch with ordinary people and his reforms as punishment for some of the most vulnerable.
France
Friedrich Merz's party suffered a historic election defeat, the French newspaper "Le Monde" headlined.
For the first time since 1949, the CDU - the chancellor's party - failed to pass the 5 percent threshold in the regional elections in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which is necessary to be represented in the regional parliament.
The CDU party, from which conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has only been in power since May last year, comes from, suffered a crushing loss in two regional votes yesterday in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and in Berlin, in the first case it was overtaken by the far right, and in the second - by the radical left, notes "Monde".
For the first time in its history, the party, whose existence is inextricably linked to that of the Federal Republic of Germany, remains outside a regional parliament after elections. According to preliminary results, the CDU has indeed failed to reach the 5 percent threshold required to be represented in the parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It is an unprecedented blow, coming exactly two weeks after the CDU lost the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where it had governed since 2002, on September 6 to the far-right AfD party, which is currently trying to form a coalition there, Le Monde reports.
Unusual for regional elections, Merz decided to speak out last night, long before the final results were announced.
"Reforms must be implemented", he stressed, promising to stick to the course set during the federal elections in February 2025, despite conflicting opinions from both his party and its coalition partner, the SPD.
"Of course, this puts us all in a difficult situation, but we take this responsibility. "I take on this responsibility because I want to move our country forward," Merz added.