AfD wins Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Die Linke takes Berlin as CDU slumps to 5.5%

Exit polls in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Initial projections released by ARD at 18:00 on Sunday placed Alternative for Germany (AfD) in first place in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 37% of the vote, up 20.3 points from the previous election. The party's regional lead candidate, Leif-Erik Holm, more than doubled its vote share compared to prior contests. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), led regionally by Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, took second place at 35.5%, marking a decline of 4.1 points. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) dropped 7.8 points to 5.5%, approaching the 5% threshold required to enter the state legislature and registering its lowest regional result since German reunification. Die Linke secured 7.5%, the Greens finished with 5.5%, and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) received 5%. The contest took place against the backdrop of regional energy shifts along the Baltic Sea coast from Russian Nord Stream gas toward liquefied natural gas and renewables.

AfD37%

SPD35.5%

Die Linke7.5%

CDU5.5%

Greens5.5%

BSW5%

AfD

37 %

SPD

35.5 %

Die Linke

7.5 %

CDU

5.5 %

Greens

5.5 %

BSW

5 %

Data from the article text

Left-wing lead in Berlin state election

In Berlin, Die Linke emerged as the leading party with 24.5% of the vote, representing a 12.3-point increase compared to the previous state election. The CDU, represented by mayoral candidate Stefan Evers, fell 8.2 points to second place with 20%. AfD finished third with 16%, while the Greens received 15%, the SPD dropped 6.4 points to 12%, and BSW took 5%. Die Linke candidate Elif Eralp focused her campaign heavily on housing costs and rent affordability across the capital. Local election authorities reported that at least one third of registered voters cast their ballots by mail prior to Sunday, with overall turnout exceeding typical averages during voting hours.

Die Linke24.5%

CDU20%

AfD16%

Greens15%

SPD12%

BSW5%

Die Linke

24.5 %

CDU

20 %

AfD

16 %

Greens

15 %

SPD

12 %

BSW

5 %

Data from the article text

Leadership crisis at Konrad-Adenauer-Haus

The double electoral loss intensified scrutiny on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who cancelled his planned trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly where he had been scheduled to deliver an address. Party officials gathered at the CDU federal headquarters, the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus in Berlin, for an extraordinary evening session following the poll closures. Merz prepared to seek an informal vote of confidence from party leadership on Sunday night ahead of executive meetings on Monday and parliamentary group sessions on Tuesday. Regional figures voiced open discontent, including Mecklenburg-Vorpommern CDU deputy chairman Tino Söhmann, who called for Merz to resign. Clara von Nathusius, treasurer of the Junge Union youth wing, stated that the party faced a severe credibility crisis. Two weeks earlier, following a defeat in Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September 2026, Merz rejected stepping down.

“Resignation is not an option for me.”

Coalition stability and succession debate

The regional results followed declining national ratings for Merz, whose personal approval fell below 20% as proposed social welfare reforms encountered parliamentary resistance. A nationwide survey conducted by YouGov placed the CDU/CSU alliance at 18%, its lowest monthly level recorded by the institute, behind AfD at 29%, the Greens at 16%, the SPD at 13%, Die Linke at 10%, the FDP at 5%, and BSW at 4%. Earlier in the week, eight CDU state premiers published a joint letter supporting the chancellor, though the document omitted Merz by name. Potential contenders discussed within the party for the 2029 federal election include North Rhine-Westphalia Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder, and Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt. University of Hamburg political scientist Julia Reuschenbach analyzed the position facing the governing party.

“The situation in the CDU is very serious right now, but I do not expect a change of chancellor. The government will implement reforms at an intensive pace to get out of the polling low. And then we will see.”

AfD29%

CDU/CSU18%

Greens16%

SPD13%

Die Linke10%

FDP5%

BSW4%

AfD

29 %

CDU/CSU

18 %

Greens

16 %

SPD

13 %

Die Linke

10 %

FDP

5 %

BSW

4 %

Data from the article text