Published: Sep 21, 2026, 09:05 IST | Updated: Sep 21, 2026, 09:05 IST
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU suffered its worst-ever result in any state, just 4.9% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while AfD surged to nearly 38% there. In Berlin, the left-wing Die Linke pulled off a surprise win over both CDU and AfD, with SPD posting its weakest result in over a century. Merz called the outcome a "disaster" but vowed to press ahead with painful economic reforms, insisting Germany's problems make bold change more urgent, not less.