German far-right AfD set for second state win in massive blow to Merz

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is on track for a second state election victory, following its overwhelming win in Saxony-Anhalt just two weeks prior, according to projections released on Sunday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative party, the Christian Democrats (CDU), faces its most humiliating performance in its 81-year history.

Projections from public broadcasters ARD and ZDF indicate the CDU may fall below its previous record low of 9% in Bremen in 1951, failing to cross the 5% threshold required to enter the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern parliament. The anti-immigrant, pro-Russia AfD party, meanwhile, is set to narrowly secure its second state win this month, having narrowly missed an absolute majority in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt in the previous election.

Chancellor Merz described the result as a "disaster" but vowed to proceed with his government's unpopular economic and social reform package, signaling he has no intention of resigning. Merz has been under intense pressure for months due to stalled efforts to revive the struggling economy, and his failure to fulfill his promise to halve support for the AfD, which became the largest opposition party in the recent national election.

Despite the setbacks, Merz remains committed to "muster[ing] these qualities - as chairman of the CDU and, above all, as chancellor of our country." In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the AfD is projected to win around 37% to 38% of the vote, nearly double its share from the last election in 2021. In Berlin, Merz's conservatives have lost their grip on the city-state's mayor's office, with The Left, a successor to the socialist party that governed former East Germany, leading with around 25% of the vote compared to the CDU's 20%.