Germany's far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), secured its second consecutive victory in state parliament elections held in the former East German region on the 20th (local time).

The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led nationally by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, was shut out of a state parliament for the first time in history.

Following the CDU's crushing defeat in Saxony-Anhalt on the 6th, expectations are growing that criticism and pressure regarding Chancellor Merz's responsibility will intensify.

According to the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Returning Officer, final vote counts showed the AfD capturing 38.2 percent of the vote, surpassing the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD, 35.5 percent), The Left (6.5 percent), and the Greens (5.7 percent) to become the largest party.

More than doubling its 16.7 percent vote share from the 2021 election, the AfD is set to be allocated 32 out of the 71 total seats.

However, falling short of a majority and facing a refusal from other parties to form a coalition government, the AfD will not participate in the new government.

Consequently, the SPD, which secured 29 seats, is expected to form a progressive coalition with The Left and the Greens (5 seats each).


Notably, the CDU's vote share plummeted to about a third of its level from five years ago, dropping to 4.9 percent and failing to clear the 5 percent threshold required for seat allocation.

The CDU suffered a historic defeat as it failed to even enter the state parliament.

This marks the first time since the party's founding in 1945 that the CDU has failed to win a single seat in a state parliament across all 16 states.

In the Berlin state parliament election held on the same day, amidst strong gains by the AfD, the CDU faced the risk of losing the mayoral seat.

Election results confirmed The Left as the largest party with 25.7 percent of the vote, followed by the CDU with 18.8 percent, the AfD with 16.3 percent, and the Greens with 14.3 percent.

The SPD, currently the CDU's coalition partner, dropped to the fifth-largest party with 12.1 percent of the vote.

While the CDU's vote share fell by 9.5 percentage points compared to the 2023 election, the AfD surged by 7.2 percentage points.

Out of the 159 total seats, The Left is expected to take 47 seats, the CDU 35 seats, and the AfD 29 seats.

If a new government is formed under the leadership of The Left, the CDU will be stripped of the mayoral seat it regained in the previous election after 22 years.

CDU Mayor Kai Wegner faced early pressure to give up his bid for another term after it was revealed that he falsely claimed he was working during January's major blackout in Berlin, when he was actually playing tennis with his girlfriend.

Chancellor Merz, already embroiled in controversies over federal leadership and facing criticism for failing to prevent the far-right AfD from eyeing a solo state government in Saxony-Anhalt, now finds himself cornered following the day's crushing losses.

Various scenarios have emerged within the CDU following the landslide defeat in Saxony-Anhalt, including replacing the chancellor with another party figure or ousting the SPD from the federal government to form a minority government.

As a result, the day's elections functioned essentially as an "indirect vote of confidence" on Chancellor Merz.

Shortly after the exit polls were released, Chancellor Merz held a press conference at the CDU headquarters and described the election results in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as a "disaster."

Regarding Berlin, he remarked that it was "so-so."

He stated, "Change requires strength. Not everyone will applaud, and in some areas, it will take time until results are delivered."

However, he added, "We accept this responsibility. I, too, want to move our country forward, so I will take responsibility," signaling that he has no intention of stepping down.

Controversy surrounding Chancellor Merz's political future is expected to persist for the time being.

The daily Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) forecasted, "It remains uncertain how much longer the CDU will support its chancellor. This state election could trigger uncontrollable political dynamics."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News) (Photo: Getty Images Korea)