Merz deeply shocked after AfD victory

Friedrich Merz says Germany's conservatives did not see the result coming. After the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, scored a sweeping victory in Saxony-Anhalt, the chancellor described himself and his party as deeply shocked.

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We did not expect this.

“We did not expect this,” Merz said at a news conference the day after the state election. He called the result the biggest defeat in decades for his conservative CDU, which received 17.2% of the vote, roughly 20 percentage points less than in 2021. The AfD won 43.8%.

“The election result will have consequences. You cannot simply return to business as usual after this,” Merz said. He nevertheless promised to continue along the same reform path as before, while acknowledging that his government needed to do a better job explaining its measures.

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We are all deeply shocked.

Merz also stressed that the government in Berlin would ensure that Germany's Basic Law remained protected. “This message also goes to our friends in Europe and around the world. We know that Germany bears a special responsibility because of its history. We will always uphold our political order and our strong ties to Europe,” he said.

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The election result will have consequences. You cannot simply return to business as usual after this.

The AfD is classified as extremist in Saxony-Anhalt and several other German states because of its rhetoric on ethnicity and immigration. The classification means the party is considered to violate Germany's constitution.

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This message also goes to our friends in Europe and around the world. We know that Germany bears a special responsibility because of its history. We will always uphold our political order and our strong ties to Europe.