As election dispute unfolded, Angela Merkel dined at a Chinese restaurant. Where was Friedrich Merz?

As Germany followed the election result in Saxony-Anhalt, former Chancellor Angela Merkel was having dinner by candlelight at a Chinese restaurant in central Berlin. At the same time, the AfD was celebrating a victory in the eastern German state.

Merkel spent the evening with a glass of wine at Jolly in Berlin-Mitte, one of her favorite restaurants and a short distance from her home. Tagesspiegel has described the restaurant as a relatively little-known place valued for its authentic Chinese food. Its menu includes Peking duck at 85 euros for four people and dishes such as jellyfish strips for 12 euros.

The restaurant also carries political memories. Journalist Robin Alexander wrote in his book “The Fall of Power” that Merkel held some of her political discussions there during moments of crisis, including talks with Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who succeeded her as CDU leader.

About 4.8 kilometers away, political discussions were taking place at the CDU headquarters, Konrad-Adenauer-Haus. Chancellor Friedrich Merz withdrew with members of the party leadership to assess the Saxony-Anhalt result. Under the plan discussed inside the party, if it became clear during the evening that the AfD had won an absolute majority, Merz would make a public statement before the CDU leadership’s formal meeting on Monday morning.

For Merkel, election night ended over dinner. For her political successor, Friedrich Merz, the night was set to be much longer.