Merz calls CDU defeat its worst in decades and vows to protect core values

Friedrich Merz described the Christian Democratic Union’s result in Saxony-Anhalt as its worst electoral defeat in years, even decades. The CDU candidate, Sven Schulze, won 17.2% of the vote, while the far-right Alternative for Germany took 43.8%.

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A result like this, in this form, was not something we expected.

Speaking in Berlin alongside Schulze, Merz said the result had not been expected “in this form.” The CDU lost 20 percentage points compared with 2021. After meeting the party leadership, the chancellor said he was personally affected and that the party could not simply return to normal business.

Merz said the government may not have communicated the need for structural reforms emotionally enough. He also pointed to his own leadership style as a constant issue during the campaign. “We have to do more than justify the reforms mathematically and economically. We have to explain them better,” he said.

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We have to do more than justify the reforms mathematically and economically. We have to explain them better.

He added that many people in Germany were facing difficult circumstances and worrying about the future. “We must try, including me, to reach people better emotionally,” Merz said. Regional elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will take place in two weeks.

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We must try, including me, to reach people better emotionally. For many people in Germany, their circumstances are difficult and many are worried about the future.

Merz also sought to reassure Germans alarmed by the far right’s advance. He said majorities could change in a democracy, but the Constitution’s fundamental values were not subject to a vote or debate. “We know that Germany, because of its history, has a special responsibility. We will always maintain our political order and our firm anchoring in Europe,” he promised. He said the government would ensure that the Constitution was applied and protected.

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We know that Germany, because of its history, has a special responsibility. We will always maintain our political order and our firm anchoring in Europe.