Merz Promises Reforms After 'Disaster' in German State Elections

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the results of the elections held today, Sunday, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (northeast) as a "disaster" for his party, the "Christian Democratic Union," pledging to accelerate the pace of reforms to move the country forward, according to Reuters.

This comes after an exit poll earlier today showed that the "Alternative for Germany" party is set to lead the election results in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, but is unlikely to participate in forming the local government as other parties have ruled out cooperation with it.

A poll conducted for the German Broadcasting and Television Authority (ARD) revealed that the "Alternative for Germany" party received 37% of the votes, while the ruling Social Democratic Party, which is center-right, received 35.5%.

Meanwhile, the Christian Democratic Union party led by Merz dropped to 5.5% of the votes, marking its worst result in any state election since 1949. With the parliamentary entry threshold set at 5%, it remained unclear whether the party would secure seats in the state parliament.

The survey also indicated that the leftist party is heading towards garnering the largest number of votes in the Berlin state elections that took place today, and it will need coalition partners to reach the position of mayor of the German capital, if the results are confirmed, marking the first time since the reunification of Germany in 1990.