Merz on AfD victory: “It has shaken our party to its foundations”

The AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt has left Chancellor Friedrich Merz warning that the CDU has been shaken “to its foundations.” He called an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the consequences of the state election.

The far-right Alternative for Germany won 43.8% of the vote on Sunday, although it fell short of an absolute majority. The CDU, which had governed the state, dropped to 17.2%. The SPD, Left, Greens and BSW also entered the state parliament.

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It has shaken our party to its foundations.

The result puts further pressure on Merz, who has already faced criticism over poor polling. The chancellor told the meeting, according to Bild, that Germany had a strong constitution and the instruments needed to defend it against a far-right state government. But the election had also produced “a tectonic shock to our party system.”

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We cannot simply carry on as before, neither I nor the federal government.

Merz said the result required a comprehensive review. “We cannot simply carry on as before, neither I nor the federal government,” he said. He identified one failure in particular: the CDU had not managed to establish an emotional connection with voters or secure their emotional support.

He also warned that public criticism from within the CDU damaged the party and helped the AfD. Merz said the AfD’s goal was the CDU’s “complete destruction” and ruled out cooperation with it. He said the CDU remained rooted in the legacy of Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl, which he intended to defend. After the meeting, he acknowledged that the election was the CDU and CSU’s worst defeat in decades.

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The complete destruction of the CDU.