Far-right German party tops in second state election; Merz: “It’s a disaster”

🔸Poll results from votes cast at the ballot box showed that the far-right party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) on Sunday, 29 Shahrivar, in a state election in northeast Germany, placed first; a result that constitutes a political blow to Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor.

🔸According to polling based on votes cast at the ballot box reported by the TV network ARD, the “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) party in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern won about 37% of the vote, surpassing the mid-left Social Democrats with 35.5%. The conservatives led by Merz, having secured 5.5% of the vote, barely cleared the threshold for entering the state parliament.

🔸However, it is unlikely that the party will be able to form a state government, because the other main German parties have rejected cooperation with the AfD.

🔸If these results are confirmed, Sunday’s outcome will be the worst performance for Merz’s party in state elections since 1949. It will also be the second time within the past month that the far-right party takes first place at the state level.

🔸After the release of the polling results based on votes cast at the ballot box, Merz said, “This is a disaster,” but at the same time he indicated that he intends to continue his work as chancellor; this comes while prior speculation had suggested the possibility of his resignation if a weak result were recorded.

🔸In another election held on Sunday in Berlin, the far-left party “The Left” (Die Linke) won 24.5% of the vote, while conservatives took 20%, and the AfD also, with increased support, won 16%.

🔸The election results on Sunday will not necessarily deliver a decisive blow to Merz; last week he had secured the support of eight conservative state prime ministers.

🔸However, the low popularity of Merz, unpopular government reforms, and the victory of the “Alternative for Germany” in the prior state election in Saxony-Anhalt have put his political future in a cloud of uncertainty.

🔸Merz has called a party meeting for Sunday to discuss the road ahead.

Read the full report on the website of Radio Farda.