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3h ago

AfD Tops Another Eastern State as CDU Collapses to Postwar Low

These exit polls raise the risk to Merz's leadership by showing the AfD's growing vote share alongside the CDU's postwar low.

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Flags of the European Union, Germany and Berlin flutter outside the Berlin state parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus) building on the day of the state election in Berlin, Germany, September 20, 2026. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Die Linke (the Left) party top candidate Elif Eralp speaks as exit polls are announced after voting ended in the Berlin state election, in Berlin, Germany, September 20, 2026. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt
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Overview

  • Exit polls on Sunday showed the far‑right Alternative for Germany leading Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania with about 37–38 percent while the SPD trailed closely, giving AfD its second major eastern win in two weeks.
  • Public broadcaster projections put the CDU at roughly 5 percent in Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania, a result that would be the party's worst state showing since the postwar era and could leave it out of that state parliament.
  • Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the outcome as a "disaster," cancelled a planned UN trip to New York, and convened CDU leaders as internal calls to rethink his leadership and strategy intensified.
  • Mainstream parties have publicly ruled out forming coalitions with AfD, preserving a political 'firewall' that limits the party's ability to govern despite its vote leads in eastern states.
  • Analysts say the string of eastern gains reflects voter anger over the cost of living, regional east‑west economic grievances, and opposition to Ukraine policy, and the sequence of results will be watched as an early indicator ahead of the 2029 federal contest.