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AfD wins in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Die Linke leads in Berlin as CDU suffers historic low

Germany held regional elections on 20 September in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The far-right AfD won first place in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the left-wing Die Linke led in Berlin, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU collapsed to roughly 5% in the eastern state, a result Merz called a "catastrophe." All other parties have ruled out coalition with AfD, so the state government is likely to remain in non-AfD hands.

Key points

  • AfD leads in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 37.3% of the vote (ARD exit poll), ahead of the SPD at 35.6%.
  • Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU received only about 5% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; one report says it fell to 4.9% and failed to enter the state parliament for the first time.
  • Die Linke leads in Berlin with around 24.9% (ARD exit poll), ahead of the CDU at 20% and AfD at about 16%.
  • The SPD lost its leading position in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for the first time in 28 years.
  • Merz called the CDU result a "catastrophe" but indicated he does not intend to resign.
  • All other parties in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have ruled out coalition with AfD; a three-party SPD-Die Linke-Greens coalition appears most likely, according to AfD's regional lead candidate.
  • Both AfD and Die Linke oppose military aid to Ukraine and favour rapprochement with Russia, according to the sources.

Why it matters

The results deepen the political shock running through eastern Germany: AfD has now finished first in a second state within weeks, and the CDU has dropped to historic lows under Merz. Because AfD and Die Linke both oppose arms deliveries to Ukraine and favour rapprochement with Russia, the vote is being read in Kyiv as a signal about Germany's future stance on the war, even though the party is unlikely to lead the state government in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

What happened

Germany held regional elections on 20 September in two of its 16 federal states: Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. According to ARD exit polls and projections, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) won first place in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with about 37.3% of the vote, narrowly ahead of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) on 35.6%. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU collapsed to roughly 5% in the state — one report says the party fell to 4.9% and failed to clear the threshold to enter the regional parliament. The result ended 28 years of SPD dominance in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The SPD's Manuela Schwesig, minister-president since 2017, now faces the task of forming a government without AfD; all other parties have ruled out coalition with the far right, and AfD's regional lead candidate Leif-Erik Holm said a three-party SPD-Die Linke-Greens coalition looks most likely. In Berlin, the left-wing Die Linke led with about 24.9% of the vote, ahead of the CDU at around 20% and AfD at about 16% — a result that could put Die Linke into the Berlin state parliament for the first time. Merz described the CDU's performance in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as a "catastrophe" but said he does not intend to resign. The context is national: in the week before the vote, AfD reached a record high of around 30% in national polling while the CDU fell to a record low of 18–19%. AfD had also won the Saxony-Anhalt state election on 6–7 September with about 44%.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian outlets lead with the AfD result and frame it primarily through the lens of Russia and Ukraine, emphasising the party's opposition to military aid to Kyiv and its calls for rapprochement with Moscow. Coverage links the rise of AfD to implications for Chancellor Merz personally and for the CDU's ability to continue supporting Ukraine, and highlights the Saxony-Anhalt result as context for the eastern German trend. Ukrainian sources stress that despite AfD finishing first, all other parties refuse to coalition with it, framing the outcome as a political shock rather than a governmental shift.

How international sources describe it

International coverage leads with the raw results — AfD first in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Die Linke first in Berlin — and the historic collapse of the CDU in the east, including Merz's "catastrophe" remark. The Berlin race is reported in its own terms, with Die Linke's lead and the prospect of its first-ever entry into the Berlin state parliament treated as a separate, leftward story rather than part of a single far-right surge. Outlets also note the national-level rise of AfD to around 30% and the CDU's record low, while observing that AfD is unlikely to lead the state government because no other party will coalition with it; a possible SPD-Die Linke-Greens coalition is flagged.

Where reporting differs

Sources report slightly different figures for several parties. AfD's share in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is given as 37.3%, 37.9%, or 38.2% across exit-poll and projection reports. The SPD's share in the same state is reported as 35.5%, 35.6%, or 35.7%. The CDU's result in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is described as "about 5.3%" or "just over 5%" by some sources, while one says the party fell to 4.9% and failed to enter the state parliament. Die Linke's share in Berlin is given as either 24.5% or 24.9%. Sources also differ on the date of AfD's Saxony-Anhalt victory, citing either 6 September or 7 September.

Background

Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are two of Germany's 16 federal states; regional governments have significant powers, including in education and some security matters. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has about 1.5 million people and is described as having one of the highest unemployment rates and the smallest population in Germany. Manuela Schwesig (SPD) has been minister-president there since 2017; she previously served as Germany's minister for family affairs, women and youth in Angela Merkel's third cabinet. German media reported in 2022 that Schwesig had been involved in a Gazprom-supported foundation connected to Nord Stream 2 before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Berlin's incumbent mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) did not seek re-election; the CDU ran state finance minister Stefan Evers instead, while AfD's lead candidate in Berlin was Kristin Brinker. AfD won the Saxony-Anhalt state election on 6–7 September with about 44% of the vote, the regional precedent for the eastern trend.