German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay in office to press ahead with reforms despite heavy losses for his Christian Democratic Union party in regional elections. Merz’s conservatives won just 4.9 per cent of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, their worst result in any state election in Germany’s postwar history, meaning the CDU will fail to gain any seats in the regional parliament. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) doubled its share of the vote and became the largest party in the former East German state.

Merz called the result a "disaster" and a reaction to his government’s necessary economic reforms, which he intends to pursue to achieve "prosperity". Speaking minutes after polls closed, Merz sought to quash speculation of an immediate leadership crisis amid mounting unrest within his party. The CDU also suffered a setback in Berlin, where it was projected to be relegated to second place with less than 19 per cent of the vote, while Die Linke surged to first place with an estimated 25.7 per cent.

The losses come two weeks after the AfD’s shock victory in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right party is now trying to form its first state government.