Merz Vows Consequences Following CDU’s Crushing Loss in Saxony-Anhalt

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz appeared before the press in Berlin on Monday alongside the CDU’s lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze.

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“Yesterday’s result has changed not only Saxony-Anhalt, but Germany as a whole,” Merz stated following Sunday’s state election results. “We are all profoundly shocked. We did not expect it to turn out like this.”

The far-right, anti-immigration AfD party won the election by a landslide, securing 43.8% of the vote, while the CDU finished a distant second with 17.2%.

Compared to the 2021 state election, the AfD more than doubled its vote share, whereas the CDU saw its support halved.

Almost 60% of voters had chosen parties that call democracy into question, the chancellor noted, calling it “the most severe electoral defeat” the CDU has suffered in years. “There will have to be consequences,” he added.

Longing for disruption

For months, Merz has been sliding from one polling low to the next. Most recently, 78% of respondents felt he was doing a worse job as chancellor than expected, according to the “trendbarometer” survey by RTL and n-tv. The poll, conducted by the Forsa institute, also showed that 59% of CDU/CSU voters were disappointed with Merz’s performance.

Despite his poor approval ratings and the electoral defeat in Saxony-Anhalt, Merz is sticking to his course “without wavering.” “Our country needs fundamental reforms,” he said.

Merz sees the government’s failure to communicate policies in a sufficiently emotive and compelling way as one reason for public dissatisfaction. In the future, the CDU, together with the SPD, aims to create a better “narrative” to address this. He also wants to “personally do justice” to the election result in the coming weeks and sees a society “longing for disruption” and “fundamental change,” arguing that the need for compromise must be emphasized more strongly.

Little room for AfD on migration policy

The chancellor also sought to reassure the public following the election defeat. The AfD would, in many areas, have to follow the line set by the federal government, including policy on foreign nationals and migration, based on the principle of “federal loyalty.”

Schulze, the CDU’s lead candidate, minister-president of Saxony-Anhalt, and state CDU chair, also wants to draw lessons from the result, though he provided no specifics. Calls for Schulze to step down have grown louder. The Young Union (JU) in Saxony-Anhalt has demanded that the entire CDU leadership in the state resign, as the magazine “Stern” reported, quoting a resolution adopted by the JU Saxony-Anhalt. The resolution reportedly stated: “The CDU in Saxony-Anhalt needs a comprehensive fresh start. We therefore call for the resignation and the prompt re-election of the entire state leadership – from the state chair to the full executive board.”

Schulze: No defections from the CDU to the AfD

Schulze stressed that the mandate to form a government now lies with the AfD. “Overall, this is a day that has shaken us deeply, not only in Saxony-Anhalt,” he said. In his own constituency, his result was twice as good as the CDU’s statewide performance.

As the AfD announced in a press release on Monday, it is now seeking to form a government despite lacking an absolute majority. Previously, the AfD’s lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund had ruled this out, but now wants to win over parliamentary groups or individual MPs before seeking to be elected minister-president.

Asked about this, Schulze said there would be no defections from the CDU, adding that he was sure BSW members would try to help Siegmund become minister-president.

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