German state elections deal Merz's CDU a 'disaster'
Germany held local elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Sunday 20 September 2026, a test the BBC framed as a test of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s position after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a major victory in Saxony-Anhalt a fortnight earlier, halving the CDU’s vote there. Polls closed at 18:00 local time. According to public broadcaster ZDF, exit polls put the AfD on 38 per cent in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with Merz’s Christian Democratic Union only just scraping above the 5 per cent threshold to enter parliament - what the BBC called potentially its worst-ever state election result - though the AfD remains unlikely to govern there, as other parties refuse to work with it. In Berlin, ZDF put the CDU on 20 per cent, behind Die Linke on nearly 26.
As it ran
20 September 2026
- German elections under way which could decide fate of Chancellor Merz BBC News
- German Chancellor Merz vows to stay on despite 'disaster' state election exit polls BBC News
- German Chancellor Merz calls state election a 'disaster' for his party but vows to stay on BBC News
- Germany’s far-right AfD win another state election, piling pressure on Chancellor Merz, exit polls show CNN
- Germany’s Merz vows to press ahead with reforms after state election defeat South China Morning Post
- Chancellor Merz calls Germany state elections results a ‘disaster,’ as far-right surge again CNN