From BBC News · · 1m 20s
Merz vows to hold Germany's coalition together
Germany's chancellor faces mounting pressure after his party's worst-ever state election results, but refuses to step down.
In brief
Germany's chancellor faces mounting pressure after his party's worst-ever state election results, but refuses to step down. Friedrich Merz is determined to keep his CDU-SPD coalition intact despite catastrophic losses to the far-right AfD and hard-left Die Linke in recent state elections. Originally reported by BBC…
Merz refuses to abandon coalition
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he will keep his CDU-SPD coalition together despite devastating state election losses, citing the country's democratic future.
“We are determined to live up to the historic challenges our country is facing”
CDU suffers historic defeats
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the CDU failed to reach the 5% threshold to enter parliament, while in Berlin it came second to the hard-left Die Linke party.
“This election is a profound turning point. It is a dramatic, unprecedented result for the CDU in Germany”
Far-right AfD surges across states
The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party won the most votes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and made significant gains in Berlin, capitalizing on discontent in the former communist east.
Merz denies personal blame alone
The chancellor acknowledged his low popularity played a role but argued the defeats reflect a broader transformation of Germany's political party system happening worldwide.
“But the reasons for the results go far beyond just me”
Speculation about chancellor swap
Rumors suggest Merz, in power for only 16 months, could be replaced mid-term due to poor approval ratings. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel predicted he will leave office soon.
“Pretty soon, he's going to leave”
Berlin's new left-wing direction
Die Linke won Berlin's election and promised to tackle rent prices by expropriating over 200,000 housing units from private landlords, a policy Merz opposes.
“The people of Berlin have clearly opted for a change in policy, specifically for an affordable Berlin”
The short version
Friedrich Merz is determined to keep his CDU-SPD coalition intact despite catastrophic losses to the far-right AfD and hard-left Die Linke in recent state elections.
