Merz decries 'disaster' as far-right AfD party set for big win in regional German elections

The far-right, Kremlin-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was projected to take first place in regional elections in Germany on Sept. 20, delivering a stinging defeat for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right party.

"It's a disaster," Merz said following the release of exit poll data for the elections.

In regional elections in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD was projected to earn 38.2% of the vote, edging out the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), which received 35.4% of the vote, according to the German news program Tagesschau.

Chancellor Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received just 4.9% of votes, according to preliminary data, threatening to fall below the 5% threshold needed to enter the state parliament, as the full election results continue to roll in. The results were the party's worst showing since it won Germany's first post-war federal election in 1949.

In another election held in Berlin on Sept. 20, the left-wing democratic socialist party Linke received the most votes. At 16.1% of votes, AfD secured third place in the capital.

Leading in national opinion polls, the victory in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania gives AfD a strong chance to form Germany's first far-right state government since World War II, despite other parties pledging non-cooperation and refusing to include it in a coalition. Even without an absolute majority, the AfD will be able to put the firewall to the test by attempting to persuade members of the Russian-sympathetic far left (BSW) or right-leaning conservatives (CDU) to break ranks and work with them.

The victory marks AfD's second state election win, following its success in Saxony-Anhalt on Sept. 6.

The ultimate goal of the AfD remains to unseat the increasingly unpopular Merz and his governing coalition, a result that would alter Europe's political map and leave Kyiv without a vital backer.

As part of its party platform, the AfD has called for cutting assistance to Ukraine and resuming economic cooperation with Russia. The branch's social media-savvy and controversial leader, Ulrich Siegmund, has pledged to cut support for Ukrainian refugees and revitalize educational ties with Russia, an effort the AfD casts as freeing Germany from its "anti-Russian" policies.

On Sept. 18, Reuters reported that Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and AfD leadership were preparing to meet as early as March to discuss a possible resumption of Russian gas supplies to the EU country, citing two undisclosed sources.

Despite the loss, Merz said he would not resign and would continue to push his agenda.

"Trust in our country’s institutions is waning and is being actively undermined by radical parties on both the left and the right," Merz said. "Germany is capable of reform. I would even go so far as to say that these reforms are the antidote to the poison of authoritarianism, which is penetrating ever deeper into our society as the fascination with authoritarianism grows."