German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was under pressure after his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered its worst regional election defeat in post-War Germany, with members of his coalition clashing over his reform agenda, which the article describes as unpopular.

Merz called the result in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, held on Sunday (September 20, 2026), a "disaster." His party missed the 5% threshold needed to enter a state parliament for the first time.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) finished first in the state. It fell well short of a majority, but the result was the second time within a month that the party had topped a state election, which it sees as building momentum toward national power.

Merz's party also lost votes in a second election, according to the article. The chancellor was described as clinging to power following the results.