German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to remain in office despite exit polls indicating damaging losses for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The results were described by Mr Merz as a “disaster”, reflecting the scale of the setback for his party across the two states. However, he rejected any suggestion that the election outcome would lead him to step down as chancellor.
The exit polls point to a difficult result for the CDU in both Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. They provide an early indication of voting patterns, with the final significance of the result depending on the completed count and the subsequent political response.
Despite the losses, Mr Merz has made clear that he intends to continue leading the German government. No further details about changes within the CDU or the wider political consequences were provided in the supplied material.
