Merz's party records its worst result in history since post-war Germany

 The Christian Democratic Union (CDU)—the party led by Friedrich Merz—recorded its worst-ever result in local elections in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania this Sunday.

According to preliminary results, the CDU secured just over 5% of the vote, hovering near the threshold required to enter the regional parliament. Meanwhile, the opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD) garnered more than 37% of the vote—an increase of 20 percentage points compared to the previous election—and is leading the race in the state. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) took second place with over 35%.

Commenting on these figures, Merz described the CDU's performance as a "disaster." "We cannot hide the reality of the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; it is a disaster," he stated.

Prior to this election, the CDU's worst result in a state election had occurred 75 years ago. In 1951, the party secured 9% of the vote in Bremen—the only time it had ever recorded a single-digit percentage.