Germany’s Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, admitted this Monday that the electoral victory of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt is a shock for him and his party, the Christian Democratic CDU, which collapsed at the polls, but also for Germany in general. At a press conference in Berlin alongside the still regional president of the state, the Christian Democrat Sven Schulze, the Chancellor said that this victory “will have consequences” and that “it is not possible to simply return to the agenda as if nothing happened.”
Read more Closes the historic pizzeria La Pava de Gavà
Merz then defended his determination to continue governing and to “carry on with the reforms, without interruption,” although he conceded that there has been a lack of empathy with the concerns of the population, so he committed to “explaining them better.” He was thus attributing much of the far-right’s triumph in the eastern state to not having been able to convey the need for structural reforms (“we have to do more than justify the reforms mathematically, economically; we have to explain them better”) and also to the fact that he himself as a person has been an issue in the electoral campaign.
The Chancellor stated this Monday that the governing coalition of conservatives and social democrats is solid, that he was elected for a four-year term starting in 2025, and that he will not quit no matter how much the far-right pressures: “Surrender is not an option.” German media have speculated recently about a possible weariness of the CDU with Merz, due to his unpopularity, which would be leading the Christian Democratic party to consider his replacement.
CDU Concession
The Christian Democrat defeated in Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze, admits that the AfD has a “mandate to govern,” although it does not have an absolute majority
Beside him, the Christian Democrat defeated in Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze, acknowledged that the AfD has a “mandate to govern,” although it lacks three seats for an absolute majority in the chamber, and that the CDU will not cooperate with this party and will move to the opposition.
That same Monday morning, his AfD opponent and election winner, Ulrich Siegmund, stated that “there is understanding towards our positions in some sectors of the conservatives,” that they will talk with them, and that he trusts some CDU deputies in the state parliament will individually support a future AfD government.
Read more Santander begins to shine as the new cultural beacon of the north
“We know that Germany, due to its history [Nazism], has a particular responsibility; we will always preserve our political order and our strong ties with Europe,” declared the Chancellor, who assured that he will defend the Constitution (in Germany it is called the Basic Law) in any situation that arises if the AfD finally governs Saxony-Anhalt.
The far-right’s victory in this sparsely populated eastern state, with 2.1 million inhabitants, has dealt a blow not only to Merz’s government and his party in particular, but also changes the political paradigm of Germany sustained for decades since the end of World War II. The AfD considers that this will propel them towards governing Germany in the next general elections, initially scheduled for 2029.
On September 20, there are two other relevant regional elections: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin (the capital has the status of a state). In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, another eastern state, Alternative for Germany leads the polls with around 36%, although it seems that the Social Democrat president, Manuela Schwesig, whose party would fall to 29%, will be able to weave an alternative coalition. In Berlin, the landscape is more divided, with the leftist Die Linke, the CDU, and the AfD very close. In any case, everything points to the CDU, which currently leads the Berlin government coalition, losing its position.
Read more Judge Tardón agrees to investigate the mass entry in Ceuta
