German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that he would remain both chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), despite the party’s poor performance in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state election. He also pledged to continue pursuing his government’s reform agenda.
Merz acknowledged the scale of the CDU’s setback, describing the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as a serious blow to the party. Preliminary results showed the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) far ahead of the CDU, which was close to the 5% threshold required for parliamentary representation in the state.
Despite the result, Merz rejected speculation about leaving office. He said Germany needs substantial reforms and argued that his coalition government has already begun work to address the country’s challenges.
The chancellor said the next stage would require determination, persistence and patience. He reaffirmed that he intended to provide those qualities both as CDU chairman and as Germany’s chancellor.
The election result has increased political pressure on Merz and his CDU, while the party’s performance in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania marked an unusually weak showing in a state election.
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