German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the result of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament election, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won by a landslide, "the most serious defeat in decades," but drew a line at calls to hold him responsible.
Merz said at a news conference on the 7th (local time), "As of yesterday, change has occurred not only in Saxony-Anhalt but across Germany," adding that he was "deeply shocked." He said he had not expected a defeat of this scale.
He noted, "Including me, we must accept various emotions and strive to communicate more deeply." He partly agreed with the analysis that recent reforms, such as raising the retirement age, affected the drop in approval ratings.
However, regarding calls in some quarters for him to take responsibility, he dismissed them, saying, "Giving up is not an option for me," and "It is my responsibility to open opportunities for the next generation."
Merz ranks at the bottom in a favorability poll of 20 major politicians, but he has said he will seek another term in the 2029 federal parliamentary election.
Asked whether the election result affected his bid for another term, he said, "I am considering various things, but I am not thinking about the 2029 general election," adding, "I am thinking about how we can join forces again to achieve political success."
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the centrist conservative party led by Merz, won 17.2% in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament election the previous day, securing only 15 of the 83 seats. Compared with the election five years ago, its vote share fell by 19.9 percentage points and its seats decreased by 25.
Disquiet within the party has grown after the crushing defeat. There are even rumors that some CDU lawmakers in Saxony-Anhalt will support AfD's state premier candidate Ulrich Siegmund in the process of forming the State Government.
On the 5th of last month, it also emerged that a CDU political figure active in Saxony-Anhalt donated €10,000 (about 15.65 million won) to the AfD. This is fueling concerns that the CDU's principle of not cooperating with the AfD could be shaken.
By contrast, the AfD, which won a landslide victory with 43.8%, said it would seek to take power in the federal government in the next general election.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said at a news conference that "there has never been a chancellor as unpopular as Merz," claiming that "he has become a heavy burden on Germany's development."
She added, "The CDU and the Christian Social Union (CSU) can never win a federal parliamentary election again. That is a fact," and said, "Ahead of the next election, our goal is to widen the gap with the CDU-CSU alliance as quickly as possible and raise our support to at least 40%."
In a poll released on the 5th by the polling firm Insa (INSA), the AfD's nationwide support stood at 28%. The CDU-CSU alliance was at 20%, with the AfD leading outside the margin of error.
Merz and the ruling CDU-CSU alliance will face another test in the Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament elections on the 20th.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the AfD leads with 35%, ahead of The Social Democratic Party of Korea (SPD·32%), the Left Party (11%), and the CDU-CSU alliance (8%). Even in Berlin, where progressive parties have traditionally been strong, the AfD's support has risen to 18%, closely trailing the CDU-CSU alliance (20%) and the Left Party (19%).