Merz pledges to hold coalition together after heavy state election losses

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday he is determined to keep his ruling coalition together, citing Germany's "democratic future," after his party suffered heavy defeats in two state elections held on Sunday.

At a news conference, Merz said the coalition between his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) remains committed to meeting the historic challenges facing the country.

Losses in two states

In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won the most votes, while the CDU failed to clear the threshold needed to enter the state parliament at all. In Berlin, the CDU finished second behind the hard-left Die Linke party, with the AfD also making significant gains there.

Merz described the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern result as a heavy blow and called it a dramatic, unprecedented outcome for the CDU, marking a profound turning point. He pushed back, however, against suggestions that his own weak approval ratings were the main driver of the losses, insisting the reasons go far beyond his own person.

Mounting pressure on the chancellor

Merz has faced months of poor approval ratings, fuelling speculation he could be replaced mid-term. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel told the BBC on Monday that she expects Merz to leave office soon.

Sunday's elections came a fortnight after the CDU's vote share was halved in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD scored a major win.