Far Right and Far Left Win German State Elections as Merz Suffers Defeat

Germany’s latest state elections have delivered major gains for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and a first-place finish for the Left Party in Berlin, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered a historic defeat in the northeastern state.

The AfD won 38.2% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, according to the preliminary results released by the state election commission early Monday. The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), led in the state by Premier Manuela Schwesig, finished second with 35.5%.

The Left Party won 6.5% and the Greens 5.7%, meaning those were the only other parties to enter the state parliament. The CDU received just 4.9%, falling below the 5% threshold required for parliamentary representation. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) also narrowly missed out with 4.8%, while the Free Democratic Party (FDP) received 1%.

The AfD is set to hold 32 seats in the 71-member state parliament, compared with 29 for the SPD. The Left Party and Greens will each have five seats.

The result means the SPD and Left Party, which currently govern together, no longer have enough seats for a majority. A three-party coalition between the SPD, Left and Greens would control 39 seats and could form a majority. The parties have ruled out working with the AfD.

The AfD's victory nevertheless represents another strong election performance for the party, which has made significant gains in eastern Germany. AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla said before the first exit poll was released that the party had “a clear mandate to govern here” and would offer coalition talks to the other parties.

After the preliminary result, AfD lead candidate Leif-Erik Holm also claimed the right to form the next state government. “We will naturally also talk to all the other parties,” Holm said, adding that the aim was “to get things moving” and improve politics for the people of the state.

However, the AfD is not expected to be able to form a government because the other parties have maintained a political firewall against cooperation with it. The party would need a coalition partner to reach a majority.

The CDU’s 4.9% result was particularly damaging for Merz. It was the party’s worst result ever in a German state election and the first time it has failed to cross the 5% threshold in a state, European or federal election.

The CDU’s previous record low in a state election was 9%, recorded in Bremen in 1951. The party had received 11.2% in Hamburg in 2020, 12.1% in Brandenburg in 2024 and 13.3% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in 2021.

Merz acknowledged the scale of the defeat shortly after the polls closed. “We can’t sugarcoat the results in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It was a disaster,” he said.

The chancellor nevertheless made clear that he intends to remain in office and continue with his reform agenda. He said Germany’s economy was undergoing profound change, public debate was becoming increasingly harsh and trust in institutions was declining.

“The reforms have to come. I am taking on this responsibility, because I want to move our country forward,” Merz said. He argued that the disruption caused by reforms, and the fact that they would not be universally popular, had to be accepted.

Merz also described the reforms as an answer to the growing attraction of authoritarian politics. “These reforms are the antidote to the poison of authoritarianism,” he said, adding that Germany needed “backbone, steadfastness, and patience.”

AfD leaders, meanwhile, used the election to renew their calls for political change in Berlin. Chrupalla said Merz should resign, describing his departure as something that “would truly be a relief for this country.” AfD co-leader Alice Weidel also said Merz “can no longer stay in office,” arguing that the CDU should reconsider both its leadership and its policy of refusing cooperation with the AfD.

The election result has intensified discussions inside the CDU over Merz’s political position, although senior figures in the party have also warned against allowing personnel debates to overshadow political issues. Philipp Amthor, a CDU politician from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the chancellery’s federal-state affairs chief, called for an end to speculation about replacing the chancellor.

“We have seen that what we have experienced over the past two weeks since the state election in Saxony-Anhalt has done more harm than good, namely, ongoing discussions about personnel that have completely overshadowed the discussion of the issues at hand,” Amthor said.

In Berlin, the political picture was different. The Left Party emerged as the strongest force in the state parliamentary election, taking about 25.7% of the vote according to an Infratest dimap projection. The CDU finished second with 18.8%, followed by the AfD with 16.3%, the Greens with 14.3% and the SPD with 12.1%. The BSW narrowly cleared the threshold for parliamentary representation.

The result ends the previous CDU-SPD majority in Berlin and leaves the capital facing coalition negotiations. The Left Party’s lead candidate, Elif Eralp, could become Berlin’s governing mayor if her party succeeds in forming a coalition.

Eralp celebrated the result by saying that “love and justice” had defeated hatred and declared: “Starting today, we are changing Berlin together and make it a better place.”

Eralp, who was born in Munich in 1981 to Turkish refugee parents, would become the first female mayor of Berlin with an immigration background if she takes the post. During her victory speech, she also addressed supporters in Turkish.

The Left Party built its campaign around social issues, particularly Berlin’s housing crisis. Its proposals include tighter rent regulation, more social housing and measures to bring large real estate portfolios into public ownership.

Eralp had also pointed to the election of left-wing Democrat Zohran Mamdani as New York mayor as an example of how a left-wing candidate could succeed in a major city. “If a left-wing candidate can win in New York, then there’s no reason it can’t happen in Berlin,” she told the German Press Agency during the campaign.

Forming a government, however, could prove complicated. The SPD and Greens have not ruled out working with the Left, but both have raised concerns about antisemitism and demanded clear commitments from the party.

SPD lead candidate Steffen Krach said before the election that any antisemitic incidents would be a red line for cooperation. The issue was also highlighted by an appearance from rapper Dahabflex at a Left campaign event in Berlin’s Neukölln district, where chants including “Death to the IDF” and “Yalla Yalla Intifada” were heard.

Eralp distanced herself from the remarks and called for an investigation and consequences. She said the overwhelming majority of the Left supported protecting Jewish life, while acknowledging that antisemitism exists within the party as well as in wider society. She said she wanted to protect Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim communities.

The Greens have also made opposition to antisemitism a condition for coalition cooperation. Their lead candidate, Werner Graf, said the party would not sign a coalition agreement that did not take a clear position against antisemitism.

The election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania could still allow Schwesig to remain state premier despite the AfD finishing first. Her SPD has been backed by the Left Party, and the addition of the Greens would provide enough seats for a majority.

Schwesig presented herself during the campaign as a direct opponent of the AfD, using the slogan “Woman against Blue,” a reference to the AfD’s party color. She described the election as the “toughest state election” her party had ever faced and said the SPD had confronted the AfD “with substance, with people, with clarity and with a united effort.”

Schwesig has also faced scrutiny over her earlier support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. In 2021, her state government established the Foundation for Climate and Environmental Protection MV, which supported construction of the pipeline. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she acknowledged that her position had been a mistake. During a 2024 visit to Kyiv, she said that “Ukraine must win this war” and supported further arms deliveries.

The BSW, meanwhile, acknowledged that it had failed to win seats in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Its lead candidate, Peter Schabbel, said: “We didn’t make it.” He attributed the result partly to the polarized contest between the AfD and SPD, which he said had hurt smaller parties.

BSW representatives said the party would nevertheless continue its work in the state. Senior representative Sabine Firnhaber said the organization still had a state association, regional groups and active members and would continue pursuing its political goals.

The elections were also notable because 16- and 17-year-olds were eligible to vote for the first time in both Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. About 2.5 million people were eligible to vote in Berlin, while nearly 1.3 million were eligible in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The results come two weeks after the AfD won another major regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, further strengthening its position in eastern Germany. The party has now emerged as the strongest force in several regions, although its ability to translate those victories into governing power remains limited by the refusal of other major parties to enter coalitions with it.

For Merz, the results add to the pressure surrounding his government after taking office in May 2025. He came to power promising to revive Germany’s economy and reduce support for the AfD, but his government has faced continued economic difficulties and public dissatisfaction.

Merz has staked his leadership on reforms intended to improve Germany’s competitiveness and restore economic growth. His agenda includes changes to pensions, healthcare and bureaucracy, measures that could impose costs on voters and have become a source of political criticism.

He said Germany had become too complicated, its economy was facing “profound upheaval,” and political debate had become “harsher and more irreconcilable.” He also warned that trust in institutions was declining and being challenged by radical political forces on both the left and right.

The election results have therefore left Germany with a complicated political picture: the AfD has strengthened its position in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania but remains outside government, the Left has become the strongest party in Berlin but must negotiate a coalition, and Merz has pledged to stay on as chancellor despite the CDU’s historic defeat.