The far-right Alternative for Germany won in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while the Left Party triumphed in Berlin, plunging the federal coalition into political turmoil.
Historic Setbacks in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin
Regional voting on September 20, 2026, delivered a severe rebuke to Germany’s mainstream political center. In the northeastern coastal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the anti-migration, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany secured 37.9% to 38.2% of the vote, leading the state race according to exit polls from public broadcaster ARD and results reported by Reuters. The governing center-left Social Democrats finished close behind at 35.5%. Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Tino Chrupalla and candidate for State Premier Leif-Erik Holm arrived at the election party for the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state election in Schwerin, Germany, on September 20, 2026. For Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his Christian Democratic Union, the night brought unprecedented disaster. The CDU captured just 4.9% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, falling short of the 5% threshold required to enter the state parliament. In the city-state of Berlin, where the CDU was incumbent, the party suffered heavy losses and is likely to end up on the opposition benches. The conservative collapse eclipsed the CDU’s previous low of 9% set in Bremen in 1951. The Left Party’s victory in the Berlin state election on Sunday was overshadowed by the continuing advance of the far-right in eastern Germany but it marked another defeat for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s ruling coalition. Die Linke (the Left) party top candidate Elif Eralp spoke as exit polls were announced after voting ended in the Berlin state election on September 20, 2026.
Speaking from party headquarters in Berlin, Chancellor Merz acknowledged the severity of the electoral losses but immediately rejected demands for his resignation. On Sunday night, Friedrich Merz should have been on his way to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Instead he was at his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party’s headquarters in Berlin from where he broke the stunned silence as exit polls for two state elections showed its worst result since World War II.
“This election is a profound turning point. It is a dramatic and unprecedented result for the CDU in Germany that we could not clear the 5% threshold. For an entire bloc to leave the state parliament is a heavy blow, and that will”
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Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor
Merz described his Christian Democratic Union’s performance in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state elections as a “disaster” but said he will remain chancellor, as the far-right Alternative for Germany surged to the top in the northeastern state. Merz acknowledged his party’s result as a “disaster,” but struggled to project authority as he faced mounting pressure.
Vowing to press ahead with potentially painful reforms to Europe’s biggest economy, Merz stated during a press conference following a CDU leadership meeting: Ich möchte unser Land voranbringen. Die Reformen müssen kommen. The chancellor added that there is no way back for Germany and that the country must be made fit for the future. Was jetzt zu tun ist, erfordert Rückgrat, Standhaftigkeit und Geduld, Merz said. Ich werde das aufbringen, als Parteivorsitzender der CDU und vor allem als Bundeskanzler unseres Landes.
Far-Right Gains and Far-Left Housing Pledges Reshape Parliament
The twin defeats follow hard on the heels of a September 6 setback in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD nearly secured an outright majority and finished just short of a majority, presenting its best chance yet of forming the country’s first far-right regional government since World War II. Friedrich Merz, 70, became Germany’s leader 16 months ago with promises to turn around an economy that has barely grown in years, but has failed to lift a sullen national mood and has himself become deeply unpopular.
Photo: NPRPhoto: Reuters
In Berlin, the political landscape shifted leftward under the banner of the Left Party. Lead candidate Elif Eralp campaigned on the soaring cost of housing in the German capital and immediately promised to follow through with a pledge to nationalize private housing associations that account for a large share of the city’s housing stock. The result roughly doubled the party’s previous score and could see Eralp become the first mayor of Berlin from the Left Party, which grew out of the former East German ruling party environment.
The populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) also missed parliament in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 4.8%, while the Greens garnered 5.7% of the vote. The Left was on 6.5% in the northeastern state, while supporters of the Christian Democratic Union watched as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz appeared on a screen in a TV studio following the closure of polling stations.
Coalition Realities and What Lies Ahead for Berlin
Forming a stable regional government in Berlin will require navigating complex political dynamics, while at the national level, two German regional elections this weekend brought more gains for a far-right party and tested whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz can hold on to power. With the far-right Alternative for Germany winning in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and celebrating its second state victory in just two weeks alongside its earlier success in Saxony-Anhalt, the federal government led by the Christian Democrats faces an increasingly uncertain path.
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As the final vote counts were assessed by election commissions and public broadcasters including ARD, the implications of the September 20, 2026 votes continued to reverberate through Berlin and Schwerin. Merz’s authority was damaged by his party’s stinging defeats, leaving the 70-year-old chancellor fighting to maintain control over his party and his economic reform agenda amid an unprecedented political realignment.
