Left Party wins Berlin election, far-right AfD takes Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

BERLIN -- Germany's Left Party was leading the state election in Berlin with 25.1 percent of the vote, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 37.7 percent, projections from broadcaster ARD showed on Sunday evening.

In Berlin, the AfD surged from 9.1 percent in the 2023 election to 15.6 percent, coming in third after the Left Party and the incumbent Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

It is also the far-right party's best result ever in the capital.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) took 35.5 percent of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, trailing the AfD. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU suffered heavy losses in the state, gaining only 5.2 percent, less than half of its 2021 result.

Faced with mounting pressure, Merz called the result a "disaster" and vowed to rebuild confidence.

Speaking after the elections, he said the government would continue to push forward the reforms and deliver progress and prosperity.

Two weeks ago, the CDU suffered another loss in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt.

Due to a political firewall against the AfD, it is difficult for the far-right party to form a state government.

Speaking to public broadcaster ZDF, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel called on Merz to face the consequences of the CDU's poor performance in the state elections and also criticized the CDU's firewall policy against the AfD.