The German chancellor has called the conservative right-wing party an enemy of the rule of law while doubling down on unpopular policies
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has blamed his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party’s crushing defeat by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt on poor communication with voters, while refusing to change course.
Merz, who has been described as Germany’s least popular head of government in some 30 years, maintained he would not budge an inch on his “reform” agenda following what he called his party’s “most serious electoral defeat in decades.”
The AfD took 43.8% of the vote in the eastern German state over the weekend, coming close to securing an absolute majority in the regional legislature. The conservative CDU, which has dominated Saxony-Anhalt’s political landscape for much of the period since German reunification, finished a distant second with 17.5%.
Ahead of the vote, a regional party official told Euractiv that the CDU branch in Saxony-Anhalt was being forced to pay the price for the deeply unpopular policies of the federal government.
Speaking at a press conference following the election, Merz said he and other senior party officials were “deeply shocked” by the result. “We did not expect this, certainly not in this form,” he said, adding that the outcome would likely have implications far beyond Germany.
Merz also said his party could not accept a situation in which “almost 60% of voters in a federal state, with a very high turnout, vote for political parties that fundamentally call into question our country’s democratic institutions and rules.”
Apart from the AfD, the Left Party – descended from the former East German Communists – and the recently formed left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) were also condemned by the chancellor for supposedly challenging Germany’s “democratic” order, according to state broadcaster DW.
Merz maintained that certain things are “not up for a vote” in Germany, including the principle that “power is granted, not seized.” He vowed to “strengthen our political order and our firm anchoring in Europe.”
The chancellor acknowledged that he himself had been “a constant topic in this election campaign,” but insisted the federal government would not change course. “My determination to continue on the path of reform remains unbroken,” he said, adding that the government apparently just needed to explain the measures better.
Merz came to power following snap elections in February 2025, promising to revive Germany’s struggling economy, but has since poured more money into the military while blaming some of the country’s economic problems on Germans themselves. He has told citizens to work more and claimed that the “welfare state as we have it today can no longer be financed.” In May, his government announced plans for social spending cuts and unveiled an unpopular pension reform.
The chancellor also doubled down on his support for Kiev, while acknowledging that “exactly 57.7% of voters” had backed parties critical of Berlin’s anti-Russian policies and unwavering support for Ukraine.
“I will not deviate by a single millimeter from my fundamental conviction that, especially now, we must defend our freedom against Russia,” he stated, advocating for increased military spending and continued aid to Kiev. Berlin has repeatedly justified the policy by citing an alleged “Russian threat,” which Moscow has consistently dismissed as “nonsense.”
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