Merz calls AfD victory in German regional elections a ‘disaster’: far right moves toward first state government since World War II

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to come first in regional elections in Germany, dealing a heavy blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The projected result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with 38.2% of the vote, gives the AfD a real chance to form the first far-right government in a German state since World War II — a development the chancellor described simply as a “disaster”.

According to exit polls published on Sunday, September 20, the AfD won 38.2% of the vote in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, overtaking the center-left SPD, which took 35.4%, according to German news program Tagesschau. Chancellor Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won only 4.9% of the vote — a result that puts it at risk of failing to clear the 5% threshold to enter the state parliament and represents the party’s worst result since its victory in the first post-war federal elections in 1949.

In elections also held on Sunday in Berlin, the left-wing democratic-socialist party Die Linke came first, while the AfD placed third with 16.1% of the vote. This marks the AfD’s second victory in regional elections, following its success in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6. Leading national polls, the AfD now has a real chance to form the first far-right government in a German state since World War II, although other parties have pledged non-cooperation and refuse to include it in a coalition. Even without an absolute majority, the AfD could test the “firewall” by trying to persuade members of the far left (BSW) or right-wing conservatives (CDU) to break ranks and cooperate with it.

Despite the defeat, Merz said he would not resign and would continue pushing his agenda forward. “Trust in our country’s institutions is fading and is being actively undermined by radical parties, from the left as well as the right,” Merz said. “Germany is capable of reforms. I would even go so far as to say these reforms are the antidote to the poison of authoritarianism, which is seeping ever deeper into our society as the fascination with authoritarianism grows.”

The AfD’s victory is of particular significance for Ukraine. As part of its platform, the AfD has called for cutting aid to Ukraine and resuming economic cooperation with Russia. State branch leader Ulrich Siegmund has promised to cut support for Ukrainian refugees and revive educational ties with Russia — an effort the AfD presents as freeing Germany from “anti-Russian” policies. On September 18, Reuters reported that Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and the AfD leadership are preparing a meeting, in March, to discuss a possible resumption of Russian gas supplies to Germany.

Source: The Kyiv Independent