Merz vows to remain chancellor after CDU suffers heavy losses in German state elections

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he will continue in office despite what he described as a disastrous outcome for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in two regional elections held on Sunday.

In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, early projections suggested the CDU would narrowly clear the threshold to remain in the state parliament, marking its worst-ever result there. Later figures showed the party had actually fallen below the 5% mark needed for representation.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was projected to take the largest share of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, though it is unlikely to enter government since other parties have ruled out cooperating with it.

In Berlin, the CDU was also expected to be overtaken by the left-wing Die Linke party.

The results add to pressure on Merz, who is already facing weak approval ratings and speculation that he could be replaced as chancellor before his term ends.

The elections came two weeks after the CDU's vote share was cut in half in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD secured a major win.

Speaking to reporters at CDU headquarters in Berlin, Merz repeated remarks similar to those he made after the Saxony-Anhalt defeat, saying his coalition government would continue pursuing its planned economic, tax and welfare reforms.