Merz faces party revolt after AfD wins two German state elections

September 21, 2026 at 06:30 PM2 min

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU suffered three regional election defeats in two weeks, with the AfD becoming the largest party in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel declared her party Germany's new catch-all people's party, replacing the CDU. Merz's approval rating stands at 13%, the lowest for any German chancellor since polling began.

Key Facts

Merz's approval rating is 13%, the lowest for any German chancellor since polling began.
The AfD became the largest party in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state elections.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said on Monday that her party had replaced the CDU as Germany's true Volkspartei.
Merz has been in government for 16 months and the CDU has suffered three poor regional election results in the last two weeks.

Election Defeats

The CDU suffered three poor showings in regional elections over the last couple of weeks. The AfD became the biggest political faction in two of those three state elections, including Saxony-Anhalt. In Berlin, the hard-left Die Linke party won the election. The AfD has a chance at governing in Saxony-Anhalt despite German authorities labelling parts of the party anti-democratic and far-right extremist.

AfD Challenge

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said on Monday that her party had effectively replaced the center-right CDU as Germany's true Volkspartei. The AfD accuses Merz of failing to fulfil his key election promises to improve the German economy and address voter fears about immigration and security. The AfD tops opinion polls nationally, a particularly sensitive issue for Germany after its Nazi past. The party rejects the far-right label and says its name, Alternative fuer Deutschland, means Alternative for Germany.

Merz Position

Merz's popularity rating is 13%, the lowest for any German chancellor since polling began. German voters' ardour for him started lower and fell faster than any of his predecessors. There have been rumours for weeks of a brewing palace coup to replace Merz with a more popular CDU politician. Possible candidate names are swirling but no individual will stick out his or her neck in public until they know they have the backing of the party.