# 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.
- Title: Merz vows to hold Germany's coalition together · BBC News
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: friedrich merz, cdu, spd, germany, state elections, afd, die linke, mecklenburg-vorpommern, berlin, coalition government, chancellor, political crisis
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqm27p8enwmko
- Published: 2026-09-21T13:34:20.923+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: friedrich merz, cdu, spd, germany, state elections, afd, die linke, mecklenburg-vorpommern, berlin, coalition government, chancellor, political crisis
## 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
## Key takeaway

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.