German Chancellor Merz calls state election a ‘disaster’ for his party, vows to stay on
Embattled German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay on despite exit polls in two local elections suggesting damaging defeats for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party was initially projected to scrape through with its worst ever election result. But a few hours later, it dipped [...] The post German…
Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany has declared the recent state elections a "disaster" for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, despite exit polls indicating potential setbacks. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party's performance was worse than anticipated, with its share of votes dropping below the 5% threshold necessary to retain its parliamentary seats.
Merz labeled this outcome as "a disaster" for the CDU. Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party appeared poised to win the most votes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, though it would likely struggle to form a government without other parties' cooperation. In Berlin, the ruling CDU was expected to fall behind Die Linke (The Left) in the polls.
Chancellor Merz is facing mounting pressure due to poor approval ratings and circulating rumors of a potential mid-term replacement in a so-called chancellor swap. He reiterated his commitment to pursuing economic, tax, and welfare reforms, emphasizing the necessity of "backbone, steadfastness, and patience" in implementing these changes.
Despite the party's struggles, Merz remains steadfast in his position, vowing to stay on as chancellor and drive forward his coalition government's agenda.
Written by urgent.news from KahawaTungu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
