Merz vows to stay on as chancellor despite ‘disaster’ in another German regional vote – POLITICO

BERLIN — Germany’s embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his conservatives suffered a second major defeat to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a regional vote Sunday — a result Merz conceded was a “disaster.”

But the chancellor moved to quickly quell a rising storm of speculation that he would move to step aside following the loss, which comes only two weeks after another historic defeat to the AfD in a regional contest. He appeared before cameras just minutes after the polls closed Sunday to say he would continue to push through his reform agenda and act as an anchor of stability in turbulent times.

“These reforms are the antidote to the poison of authoritarianism,” he said. “What needs to be done now requires backbone, steadfastness, and patience. I will demonstrate these qualities as chairman of the CDU and, above all, as chancellor of our country.”

The AfD won around 38% of the vote in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania — the second-best result in its history, just ahead of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) on 35%, according to preliminary results.

Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered its worst result in a state or national election since the end of World War II, by the end of election night coming in at 4.9%, according to a preliminary count, just below the vote threshold required to make it into the state parliament.

The failure to meet that threshold deals an even more painful blow to the chancellor, who is already struggling to maintain support among his party’s rank and file.