A “shocked” and chastened Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay in office despite the far right’s triumph in a state election that has brought anti-immigrant, pro-Kremlin politicians within striking distance of power. The German chancellor, appearing ashen-faced in front of reporters in Berlin, said on Monday that the landslide victory by the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt had shaken his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) “to its very foundations”. The unpopular Merz, who had pledged to halve the AfD’s support at the national level, has watched the nativist party rack up electoral gains, none as convincing as its utter rout of the CDU in the eastern region on Sunday with nearly 44% of the vote.
The AfD and its candidate Ulrich Siegmund fell short of an absolute majority but could yet create Germany’s first far-right state government since the Nazi period. Merz appeared contrite and willing to work on his “communication” with voters. Siegmund, a media-savvy former fragrance salesman, was also able to tap into a sense of grievance in the former communist east, where complaints abound that voters there are treated as “second-class citizens” more than three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Siegmund, 35, mocked the 70-year-old Merz as “a very good campaigner” for the AfD. Only 16 months in office, Merz conceded his own low poll ratings had played a role in his party’s loss. However, Merz insisted: “My determination to continue on the path of reform is unbroken,” saying a sustainable system was essential for the sake of “our children and grandchildren”.
He added: “Giving up is not an option for me.” Merz said he wanted to assure Germany’s allies that “our institutions are resilient and stable” and its own vulnerable minorities that the country would stick to its values and constitution even if the AfD took power in Saxony-Anhalt. He also promised to stay the course on Ukraine, stressing he would “not budge a single millimetre from my fundamental conviction that we must defend our freedom against Russia as well”. Merz said Moscow would cheer the AfD’s success in Saxony-Anhalt and accused it of lending support to the far right’s campaign, with another two German state elections still to come this month amid alleged Russian interference and sabotage.
Although the CDU rallied behind its chancellor and party leader, several influential commenters openly called for his immediate replacement – a complex step under German law. Germany “needs a clean slate, a fresh start, and that starts with Friedrich Merz”, said the Der Spiegel editor-in-chief, Dirk Kurbjuweit. It has pledged mass deportations of unwelcome immigrants and asylum seekers, which critics have said would be illegal, while promising massive boosts in social welfare spending with unclear financing.
The AfD has also taken aim at state support for public broadcasters and cultural institutions it deems “unpatriotic”, sparking fears of “cultural hegemony”. The party did not win enough seats to elect Siegmund as state premier, but AfD leaders said they seek to pick off rebel lawmakers from other parties willing to play kingmaker. It is only three seats short of a majority.
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