Merz Vows to Stay After CDU Losses in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Friedrich Merz said he will stay as German chancellor and press on with his government's reforms after the CDU lost two state elections on 20 September 2026.

Merz, chancellor as of 21 September, spoke to supporters that night and called the CDU results a "disaster" The Guardian. He said he will not step down.

The elections were in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), with results reported on 21 September DW. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the northeast, the CDU took 4.9% of the vote. A party needs 5% to enter the state parliament, called a Landtag. At 4.9%, the CDU is out.

That is a first. The CDU had entered that parliament in every election for 77 years. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the home state of former CDU chancellor Angela Merkel.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) took 38% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to finish as the largest party, doubling its vote share The Guardian. It finished ahead of the SPD. That followed an AfD majority in Saxony-Anhalt about two weeks before 21 September.

Merz said after the 20 September votes, "We cannot sugar coat the result in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" CNN. Sunday's losses have raised questions about his position within the CDU Reuters.

The broader context here is what state losses do to a chancellor. They do not remove a chancellor. Like midterm losses for a president, they narrow room to act. They cost the party offices, staff and local presence. They give internal critics words and timing.

Looking at what this means for Berlin, staying the course is the strategy. By promising to continue reforms, Merz seeks to stop these elections from setting the national agenda. That is a common response from chancellors. It works only if results in Berlin change the subject. The election-night tone was defiant, not apologetic.

In my view, two things will matter more than the first reactions. The first is inside the CDU. A 4.9% result and loss of parliamentary status in Merkel's home state will start a debate about organization and message that one speech cannot settle. Whether criticism stays private or turns into a fight over direction will shape how much freedom Merz has. The second is competition. Back-to-back AfD first-place finishes, first a majority in Saxony-Anhalt and now 38% and first place in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, change the math for other parties. They must choose how much to confront the AfD directly and how much to win voters back through better administration.

For external partners, the signal is continuity at the top with limits at home. A chancellor who promises to press on asks to be judged on laws and delivery, not on state maps. That puts the weight on the reform agenda he named. If it moves forward, 20 September looks like a midterm warning. If it stalls, questions about his standing in the party will return, sharpened by losing a state foothold held for more than seven decades.