German leader Friedrich Merz ‘shocked’ by polls loss to far-right AfD, vows to push on with reforms

BERLIN – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sept 7 that he was “deeply shocked” after his centre-right party suffered a heavy loss in the state polls to the far-right AfD, but vowed to push on with reforms.

“This is the heaviest electoral defeat the (CDU party) has suffered in years, in decades,” a crestfallen Merz told a press conference, a day after the defeat in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

“Naturally, this will have to have consequences.”

The centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which leads the ruling coalition at the national level, scored just 17 per cent of the vote, compared to almost 44 per cent for the anti-immigration, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD).

AfD national co-leader Alice Weidel, in a blistering attack on the morning after, charged that “no chancellor before has been as unpopular as Friedrich Merz” and labelled him “a major burden” for Germany.

The AfD’s triumphant lead candidate in the state vote, 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, said that voters had sent “a signal to Berlin” and mockingly thanked the 70-year-old Merz for being “a very good campaigner” for the AfD.

Siegmund also said that – after his party narrowly missed an absolute majority – it was now reaching out to other parties and individual MPs to build a stable ruling coalition.

“It is a very clear government mandate,” he said. “It could hardly be clearer.”

Sven Schulze, the state’s defeated CDU premier, acknowledged that the AfD, which is just short of the number of lawmakers needed to rule alone, had won the right to try to form a governing majority.

“We are the opposition – the mandate to govern now lies with the AfD,” he said alongside Merz.

‘Unbroken determination’

Merz conceded his own low poll ratings had played a role in his party’s loss, as well as criticism his government has been slow to implement reforms.

“I know that I personally was a constant topic in this election campaign. We know that the reforms were a constant topic in this election campaign,” he said.

“We must try – I myself included – to reach people more effectively, including in the full range of their emotions,” he added.

Merz nevertheless vowed to push on with a crucial policy overhaul in areas ranging from the economy to pensions and healthcare.

“My determination to continue on the path of reform is unbroken,” he said.

“But I know that we must do more than just justify these reforms, mathematically, economically. We have to explain them better,” he said.

“This is about nothing more and nothing less than the future of our country, and the opportunities of our children and grandchildren.”

On Germany’s support for Ukraine, he stressed he would “not budge a single millimetre from my fundamental conviction that we must defend our freedom against Russia as well”.

Supporters of US President Donald Trump cheered on the AfD, with former US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell celebrating the results as “a huge win and a new day in Germany”.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk had been among the first to celebrate AfD’s victory with a resounding “Well done!”

‘Soldier on’

Pressure has grown on Merz not just from the far right, but also from within his coalition, which has struggled to reboot a stagnant economy and is divided over social policy, especially pensions.

The election outcome “delivered a huge blow” to Merz and his government which “can throw the CDU into significant turmoil”, wrote Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank.

Still, he said it was more likely than not that Merz and his coalition “will soldier on” throughout their term till 2029, given the lack of a good alternative.

“Replacing Merz as head of the coalition would be a high-risk adventure from which his party will probably shy away,” he wrote. AFP