Merz's CDU Slumps as Extreme-Left Die Linke Leads in Berlin
The extreme-left party Die Linke, the renamed successor to the former East German ruling party, is heading for its first election victory in the German capital, Berlin, since German reunification. Under Turkish-born Elif Eralp, Berlin's city hall would thus fall back into the hands of the very party that once had the Berlin Wall built. The party won over young and migrant voters in the campaign with themes such as the Palestinian intifada, the fight against capitalism and the expropriation of real estate.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Chancellor Friedrich Merz lost 8.2% and now stands at only 20%, while Die Linke doubled to 24.5%, a gain of 13.8. Alternative for Germany (AfD) improved to 16% in Berlin.
Dramatic losses are emerging in Sunday's two elections, in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD has become the strongest force in a third federal state after Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, reaching 37%. The CDU in the state, meanwhile, must worry about whether it can clear the 5% hurdle at all. For the first time in its postwar history, it is in danger of dropping out of a state parliament entirely. The first projections put the chancellor's party at just about 5%, which may still change during the evening.
Merz spoke to the press at CDU headquarters shortly after the latest projections were published. He first emphasized the CDU's election victories in other states, such as Rhineland-Palatinate and also Hesse, where the CDU was able to remain the strongest force last year. He admitted, however, that the results of last Sunday and this Sunday were a "disaster".
To explain his party's poor results, Merz pointed to a state that has become too complicated for voters. The tone of political debate, he said, has become rougher and less conciliatory. The answer could not be a return to the old days, but neither could it be the constant denigration of politics.
The chancellor, who has faced strong criticism and calls to resign for weeks, including from within his own party, used the occasion to reassert his claim to leadership. He again invoked the government's plans: "The reforms must come."