Merz's coalition in crisis after election losses

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party was beaten to first place in Berlin, pummelled in Saxony-Anhalt and pushed out of parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in recent regional elections.

Chancellor faces record low approval ratings

Merz is on thin ice with record low approval ratings among voters who often describe him as arrogant and out of touch, though no CDU challenger has openly moved against him yet.

Allies urge Merz to stay and reform

Jürgen Hardt, CDU foreign policy spokesperson, argues swapping chancellors is not the answer as anyone would face the same challenges. He says Merz will work on his deficits.

“I think Friedrich Merz knows about his deficits. He will work on him and we will work on us as a party.”

Some economic gains amid broader anxieties

Leading economic institutes raised Germany's growth forecasts for 2026 and 2027 above one percent and illegal entries are down year on year, but households endure high energy costs.

Far-right AfD surges to around 28 percent

The Alternative für Deutschland party has capitalised on nostalgia for the past and anxiety in the present, topping polls nationwide at around twenty-eight percent with strong regional strongholds.

AfD co-leader says Merz's days are numbered

Alice Weidel, AfD co-leader, told the BBC this week that Friedrich Merz's days were numbered as the party claimed its third state election victory in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Die Linke tops Berlin polls amid antisemitism row

Die Linke topped the polls in Berlin last Sunday in a further blow to traditional big tent parties, but now faces scrutiny over allegations of antisemitism. Party leadership insists it protects Jewish life.

Elections expose Germany's deepening political fractures

The regional elections have encapsulated Germany's fault lines: eroding support for the political centre and a polarising debate on the AfD. Rarely in post-war Germany have local polls generated such upheaval.