German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to remain in office despite exit polls from two regional elections pointing to significant setbacks for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the CDU was projected to barely secure representation in the state parliament, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was forecast to claim the largest share of votes. Merz described the outcome as “a disaster”.
In Berlin, the CDU was similarly expected to finish behind Die Linke (The Left).
The Chancellor faces growing pressure amid low approval ratings and speculation that he could be replaced mid-term through a so-called chancellor swap.
Sunday’s ballots came just two weeks after the CDU’s vote share was halved in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD secured a decisive victory.
Polling stations in both states closed at 18:00 local time (17:00 BST), with final results anticipated in the hours that followed.
According to public broadcaster ZDF, the AfD was projected to receive approximately 38% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. However, the party is unlikely to govern, as other parties have ruled out cooperating with it.
In Berlin, the broadcaster put the CDU on 20% of the vote share upon closing of polls, trailing Die Linke at nearly 26%.
Before Sunday’s elections, there had been intense speculation in Germany that Merz could be replaced unless his party’s fortunes improved.
Earlier in the week, the leaders of eight German states publicly backed Merz, who has held the position for only 16 months.