Friedrich Merz vows to keep coalition after CDU loses Berlin and drops out of northeastern state parliament

State election defeats

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged on Monday to maintain his federal coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) following regional election defeats on 20 September 2026. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lost parliamentary representation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and lost its governing majority with the SPD in Berlin. Addressing reporters in Berlin, Merz defended his government's reform agenda and rejected calls to step down after 16 months in office. He framed the coalition's survival as a necessity for national political stability.

It is about nothing less, and nothing more, than the democratic future of our country.

Collapse in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

In the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place with 38.2% of the vote, up from 16.7% in the previous regional election. The SPD placed second with 35.5%, while the CDU fell to 4.9%, missing the 5% electoral threshold required to enter the state parliament for the first time since the party formed in 1945. Merz described the outcome in the state as a disaster and acknowledged the severity of the loss for his party. AfD regional lead candidate Leif-Erik Holm claimed the result marked the beginning of the end for the chancellor's tenure.

The twilight of the chancellor has begun.

Berlin shifts to the left

In Berlin, Die Linke took first place with 25.7% of the vote, nearly doubling its result from 2023 under lead candidate Elif Eralp. The CDU finished second with 18.8%, losing control of the regional administration it had led in coalition with the SPD since 2023. AfD gained 16.3%, the Greens secured 14.3%, and the SPD dropped to 12.1%, leaving the governing CDU-SPD alliance without a legislative majority. Eralp campaigned on living costs and housing rents, and forming a Senate administration requires support from the Greens and the SPD. The Social Democrats have asked Die Linke to distance itself from alleged anti-Semitic rhetoric as a condition for coalition talks.

Coalition tensions and reform plans

Federal government deputy spokesperson Sebastian Hille stated on Monday that the governing coalition retains full decision-making capacity and will proceed with its planned economic timetable. The CDU leadership and eight Christian Democratic state premiers met with Merz, while regional leaders later held a separate two-hour meeting at the Rhineland-Palatinate state representation in Berlin. The federal cabinet intends to proceed with ending penalty-free early retirement at age 63 for workers with 45 years of contributions, a proposal opposed by three eastern state premiers. Infratest Dimap voter data indicated that the CDU lost 60,000 voters to the AfD in Berlin and 32,000 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Merz attributed the election losses to structural changes across the party landscape rather than his own approval ratings, which stood at 10% in recent polling.