AfD Gains Pressure German State Votes as Chancellor Merz Seeks to Stay in Power
Polling began Sunday in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, where the far-right AfD is expected to improve its vote share, a result that could affect Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s ability to govern.
How this was covered
- Left-leaning outlets covered this 24h later
Why it matters
The collapse of CDU support could destabilise the governing coalition and shape Germany’s policy direction.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage mocks Merz and highlights his political failures, centrist coverage cautions against premature talks of his replacement and urges reform, while right-leaning coverage predicts an imminent collapse and calls for his resignation.
LEFT
Merz is portrayed as a beleaguered, ineffective leader whose predictions fail and whose authority is eroding.
CENTER
The story is framed as a warning against rushing to replace Merz, emphasizing the need to restore credibility and accelerate reforms.
RIGHT
Merz is depicted as on the brink of political collapse, isolated within his party and facing a decisive need to step down.
The left emphasises
- AfD’s triumph and the CDU’s “catastrophic” loss in Saxony-Anhalt
- Merz’s failed predictions - described as an “anti-oracle”
- A rapid loss of authority and internal criticism
The right emphasises
- Merz is “on the brink of political collapse” with poll numbers near the 5-percent threshold
- Senior party figures distancing themselves and skipping meetings
- Calls for a confidence vote or resignation
How this story developed
- Aug 23 Merz warns AfD win in Saxony-Anhalt could scare off foreign investors
- Sep 10 Claudia Obert resigned from the CDU and Tino Schomann publicly demanded Merz’s resignation.
- Sep 11 Only the BSW agreed to talks as all other parties declined, and Chancellor Merz rebuked Donald Trump’s congratulatory post.
- Sep 12 Protesters took to streets in dozens of German cities to denounce the AfD and its candidate following its recent electoral success in Saxony-Anhalt.
- Sep 12 Markus Söder publicly rejected calls to replace Chancellor Merz.
- Sep 13 Sven Schulze replaced Guido Heuer as CDU minister after a close internal vote.
- Sep 13 Protests included a Hamburg rally featuring EKD council chair Kirsten Fehrs, DGB chief Tanja Chawla, deputy Schura chair Özlem Nas and singer Axel Bosse, and displayed slogans such as “No step back! Against the AfD and right‑wing hate!”.
- Sep 13 Sloterdijk’s interview at the Hay Festival added new commentary on the AfD’s trajectory.
- Sep 18 Eight state premiers issued a joint communiqué reaffirming support for Chancellor Merz.
- Sep 20 Recent polls show the SPD narrowing the gap with the AfD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while the CDU lingers just above the entry threshold and smaller parties risk missing seats. In Berlin, the SPD has slipped behind but remains a contender, and no party appears set for an outright majority, making a three-party coalition likely. Possible alliances include red-green-red or black-green-red blocs, with a potential surprise from the Greens, and incumbent mayor Kai Wegner is not running again.
- Sep 20 Polls now show Die Linke slightly ahead of the CDU in Berlin and the AfD closing on the SPD in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern.
- Sep 20 Chancellor Friedrich Merz admitted his CDU suffered a crushing defeat in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the AfD reached 37% while the CDU fell to 5.5%.
- Sep 20 AfD emerged as the front‑runner in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern and Die Linke topped the Berlin vote.
- Sep 21 The CDU failed to clear the 5% threshold in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, losing all its seats in the state parliament.
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