German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he will stay in office despite his party’s poor performance in recent state elections. The Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, received 4.9% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, marking its worst result in a state election since 1949. The far-right Alternative for Germany party made major gains in the same election, taking 37.9% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Merz called the outcome a ‘disaster’ but said he would not back down from his reform plans, according to NPR. He emphasized that economic challenges make bold changes more necessary than ever. Merz spoke at the Konrad Adenauer House in Berlin shortly after the exit poll results were announced.
He said that what needs to be done now requires ‘backbone, steadfastness, and patience.’ The CDU’s poor showing in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania follows a similar loss in Saxony-Anhalt just weeks earlier. In that eastern state, AfD won 43.8% of the vote while the CDU finished with 17.2%.
The result in Saxony-Anhalt drew widespread attention because it gave the AfD its strongest result in any German state election. The CDU has governed Germany for much of the postwar period, but its recent losses have increased pressure on Merz. Merz became Germany’s leader 16 months ago with promises to improve an economy that had barely grown in years.
Despite some signs of growth, unemployment has risen and now stands at more than three million people. Germany’s Federal Employment Agency reported 3.061 million unemployed people in August, up 36,000 from a year earlier.
The chancellor has also canceled a planned trip to the United Nations in order to remain in Berlin, newser.com reported. A government official said Merz’s presence was required in the capital but did not publicly give a specific reason. He has repeatedly said he will not resign and will finish his term as Germany’s leader.
In Berlin, Die Linke came first in the vote count, with the CDU placing second. Preliminary results showed Die Linke at 25.7%. Reuters reported the CDU at about 19%.
The results in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin showed large gains for parties outside Germany’s traditional governing center. Reuters reported that economic stagnation, living costs and dissatisfaction with national politics were important issues in the campaigns.
The AfD’s gains have also renewed debate over how Germany’s other parties should respond to it. Major parties have continued to rule out forming governing coalitions with the AfD.
Merz continues to defend his approach even as public support for him has weakened. He remains committed to pushing through reforms including tax changes, pension changes and efforts to reduce
IMAGE: Friedrich Merz in 2017
Titel des Werks: “Friedrich Merz im Jahr 2017 (Ausschnitt)”. Photo: Michael Lucan / Wikimedia, taken 2017-02-01, CC BY-SA 3.0 de