AfD wins elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Left Party leads in Berlin

The elections in Germany have shown that the country's political landscape is undergoing tectonic shifts. The rise of the far right and the decline in support for traditional parties is not just a change in numbers but a reflection of deep public dissatisfaction and a search for new answers to old problems.

According to preliminary exit poll data published by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, the AfD received 37-38 percent of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, significantly more than the 16.7 percent it won in the last state election in 2021. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) came second with 35.5-36.5 percent, followed by The Left with 6-7.5 percent and the Greens with about 5.5 percent. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lost 5-5.5% of the vote compared with 13.3% in 2021.

In Berlin, The Left led with 24.5% against 26%, significantly more than the 12.2% it won in the last election in the city-state in 2023. The CDU's share fell to about 20% from 28.2%, while the Greens received 15-15.5%, the Alternative for Germany 13.5-16%, and the SPD about 12%. Both state parliaments are elected for five-year terms, and in German state elections, a party generally needs at least 5% of the vote to win a seat.

In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the SPD has governed in coalition with The Left since the 2021 election. In Berlin, the CDU and SPD formed the current government after the 2023 repeat elections, which were ordered after the 2021 elections in the city-state were declared invalid due to serious shortcomings in the organisation and conduct of the vote.

The CDU, Merz's own party, performed poorly in both states, with its support noticeably declining compared with previous elections. Commenting on the results after the two votes, Merz called them a catastrophe, saying that the German economy is undergoing profound changes, public debate is becoming increasingly sharp, and public trust in state institutions is being undermined by political extremists. He said Germany needs to move forward with reforms and that his federal government will take responsibility for carrying them out.

Sunday's elections came just two weeks after the Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 43.8% of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on September 6, falling just three seats short of an absolute majority. All major German parties continue to rule out forming a coalition with the far right, maintaining a long-standing political barrier that leaves the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with votes but no path to power.

Both elections drew close attention as they take place against the backdrop of pressure on the federal government, falling support for established parties and the steady rise of the far right. German media see the two votes as a barometer of sentiment in Berlin. Recent polls have shown that only a small proportion of voters in both states are optimistic about Germany's overall direction, with nearly 90 percent speaking negatively about the federal government's performance. Rising prices, the state of the economy and the overall cost of living dominate the list of issues worrying voters.

"Many parties have now made it clear that they do not want to cooperate with the far-right party. Everything that is happening in politics right now leaves people feeling uncertain — and of course it is alarming to see such a large number of voters moving to the right," said Haase, a local resident. "This trend can be seen in elections across the country, including in the previous federal election. Germany is in a state of chaos, and people everywhere feel dissatisfied," said Ralf, another resident.

For many in Germany, the elections reflected not only local political changes but also a broader realignment of the party landscape, a shift in public mood and the strain placed on the federal government. Attention now turns to which parties can form stable state governments and how this process will affect national politics.

As reported by CCTV+, the election results in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin signalled growing dissatisfaction with federal policy and the strengthening of the AfD, which could affect the future of Germany's party landscape.