German far-right AfD wins two state elections, CDU suffers record low in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
On September 20, 2025, Germany held state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Exit polls show the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) winning 37% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, becoming the largest party, while Chancellor Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received only 5.5%, its worst state-level result since 1949. In Berlin, the Left Party won 25.7%, becoming the largest party for the first time. The CDU and SPD suffered significant declines in both states.
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Cross-source coverage
Common ground
- German voters are rejecting the centrist establishment parties like the CDU and SPD because they failed to deliver on housing, energy, and economic security.
- The rise of the Left Party in Berlin and the AfD in eastern states shows a deep loss of trust in traditional politics.
- Domestic failures like the housing crisis and energy costs are key drivers of voter anger, not just abstract geopolitical shifts.
- The post-Cold War political consensus in Germany is collapsing, leading to instability and fragmentation.
Points of contention
- Neutral Agent argues the voter shifts are protest votes driven by domestic incompetence, while Eastern Agent sees them as a structural realignment toward a multipolar world.
- Eastern Agent claims foreign policy choices like sanctions on Russia directly caused domestic crises, but Neutral Agent says the housing crisis predates those decisions and they are not directly linked.
- Neutral Agent views the Left Party and AfD as fundamentally different electorates with opposite policies, while Eastern Agent sees them as two sides of the same anti-establishment coin.
Blind spots
- Both debaters overlook how regional differences—like Berlin's urban rent crisis versus eastern cultural anxiety—create separate voter blocs that cannot be easily unified.
- The volatility of voter support, with large swings in just a few years, suggests these shifts may be temporary anger rather than permanent realignments.
- Neither fully addresses the practical challenge of how Germany can govern with such fragmented and contradictory political forces.
WorldAttention’s read
German politics is in a state of deep fracture, not a clean realignment. Voters are punishing the centrist establishment for failing on housing, energy, and economic security, but they haven't agreed on a replacement. The Left Party and AfD offer opposite solutions and can't govern together, leading to likely gridlock and unstable coalitions. While foreign policy choices like energy sanctions worsened domestic problems, the root causes are mostly homegrown failures. This isn't the birth of a multipolar Germany—it's the messy, dangerous collapse of the old order, with no clear path forward.
Reporting timeline
Left Party Wins Berlin State Election for First Time with 25.7% of Vote
Preliminary results from the Berlin state parliament election, released on September 21 local time, show the Left Party winning 25.7% of the vote, making it the largest party in the state parliament for the first time and achieving its best-ever result in Berlin. This marks a significant increase from the 12.2% the Left Party received in the 2023 election. The previously governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came second with 18.8%, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) received only 12.1%, its lowest-ever vote share in Berlin. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) placed third with 16.3%, and the Greens received 14.3%. The results represent a major shift in Berlin's political landscape, with both the CDU and SPD experiencing significant declines.
Read sourceLeft Party Wins Berlin State Election, Becomes Largest Party for First Time
Preliminary results from the Berlin state parliament election, released on September 21, show the Left Party leading with 25.7% of the vote, making it the largest party in the chamber for the first time and achieving its best-ever result in Berlin. This marks a significant increase from the 12.2% it received in the 2023 election. The previously governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came second with 18.8%, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) secured only 12.1%, its lowest-ever vote share in Berlin. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) placed third with 16.3%, and the Greens received 14.3%. The previous CDU-SPD coalition can no longer continue. The Left Party stated it would begin coalition negotiations with the Greens and the SPD. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (4.7%) and the Free Democratic Party (2.5%) failed to reach the 5% threshold to enter parliament.
Read sourceLeft Party Wins Berlin State Election for First Time with 25.7% of Vote
Preliminary vote-counting results released in the early hours of September 21 local time show that the Left Party has taken a clear lead in the Berlin state parliament election with 25.7% of the vote, becoming the largest party in the Berlin state parliament for the first time and achieving its best-ever result in the city. In the 2023 election, the Left Party received 12.2% of the vote. The previously governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) both saw significant declines in their vote shares. The CDU came second with 18.8%, while the SPD secured only 12.1%, marking its lowest-ever vote share in Berlin. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) ranked third with 16.3%, and the Greens received 14.3%. The results are based on preliminary counts reported by CCTV.
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Far-right AfD leads in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, CDU suffers record low
On September 20, Germany held state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Exit polls show the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) projected to win 37% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, making it the largest party. The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) is projected at 35.5%, while Chancellor Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is projected at 5.5%, barely clearing the threshold to enter parliament—its worst state-level result since 1949. Despite the AfD's lead, other major parties have refused to cooperate, making its chances of forming a government slim. In Berlin's city council election, the Left Party leads with 24.5%, followed by the CDU at 20%, the AfD at 16%, and the SPD at 12%. This follows the September 6 election in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD won about 44% and the CDU fell to around 17%. The AfD has become the largest party in two German state parliaments in the past two weeks. (Source: CCTV International News via jin10)
Read sourceFar-right AfD leads in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, exit polls show
According to a report by Cailian Press on September 21, Germany held two local elections on September 20: parliamentary elections in the capital Berlin and in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). The latest exit polls indicate that in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament election, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is projected to win 37% of the vote; the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), part of the governing coalition, is expected to secure 35.5%; and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by German Chancellor Merz, is projected to receive 5.5%, barely surpassing the threshold required to enter the state parliament. This marks the CDU's worst performance in any state-level election since 1949. In the Berlin city council election, the CDU is expected to win 20% of the vote; the SPD is projected to receive 12%; the AfD is expected to gain 16%, resulting in an increase in its number of seats; and the Left Party is currently leading with a projected 24.5%. (CCTV International News)
Read sourceGerman Far-Right AfD Poised for Gains in State Parliamentary Elections
On September 20, parliamentary elections are being held in Berlin and the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. According to German media reports citing polls, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is in a tight race with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with support at approximately 36% and 37% respectively. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) trails far behind at only about 6% in that state. This follows the September 6 state election in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD won 43.8% of the vote, becoming the largest party, while the CDU secured only 17.2%. Analysts cited in the report suggest that these state-level results indicate the AfD has become a normalized political force, with potential spillover effects on German federal politics. The report is attributed to CCTV International News.
Read sourceGerman State Elections Deliver Another Blow to Chancellor Merz's CDU
State parliament elections were held on September 20 in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV), Germany. According to German sources cited by Jin10 Data, opinion polls indicate that Chancellor Merz faces 'another painful day' following the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's sweeping victory two weeks ago in Saxony-Anhalt (SA). The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Merz, suffered a crushing defeat in the SA state parliament election on September 6, with its vote share plummeting to around 17%, while the AfD secured approximately 44% of the votes, becoming the largest party in that state. In MV, the CDU may face an even greater setback. A ZDF poll on September 17 showed the CDU's support rate in MV at just 6%, only slightly above the 5% threshold required for parties to enter the state parliament. German sources stated that if the vote share falls below 5%, it would be 'a nightmare' for the CDU and could serve as the final straw for Merz. The report is attributed to CCTV News.
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