German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday called his conservative CDU's defeat in regional elections "a severe blow," but again ruled out stepping down.
Speaking at CDU headquarters in Berlin after leadership meetings, Merz said falling short of the 5% threshold in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was a dramatic first for his party.
"That is a severe blow," he said. "However, the election results and the reasons behind them extend far beyond my person. We are witnessing a profound transformation of the political system in Germany as well as in many other countries."
Merz said the elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin showed the rise of far-right and left-wing populist parties, calling the AfD and the Left Party "destructive forces." He added that his party would analyze the results in the coming days and draw lessons from them.
The Conservative leader thanked the Social Democrats (SPD), his partner in the federal coalition, for affirming it would stay in government after Sunday's results.
"We want to advance the reform process, yet we know we owe people answers regarding their concerns and fears," he said. "Many people worry about their jobs, their families, their retirement income, and their healthcare," he added.
"It is the historic task of the coalition government here in Berlin — and of the political center as a whole — to prepare our country for the years ahead on these issues."
Merz's CDU suffered a historic defeat in Sunday's Mecklenburg-Vorpommern election, as the AfD won with 38.2% and the SPD took 35.5%, while the CDU fell to 4.9% and dropped out of the state parliament for the first time in its history. In Berlin, the Left Party came first with 25.7%, followed by the CDU with 18.8% and the AfD with 16.3%.
