Merz says Germany needs reform after historic AfD election victory, defends democratic order

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany must pursue deep reforms after the far-right Alternative for Germany won a historic state election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, but he rejected any suggestion that the country’s democratic order was at risk.

Merz described the result as the worst defeat for his Christian Democratic Union in decades. He said Germany’s institutions remained resilient and stable, and pointed to the Basic Law as the framework protecting the country’s democratic order.

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I want to assure everyone in our country of this: Our institutions are resilient and stable. Our Basic Law protects and guarantees this order

“I want to assure everyone in our country of this: Our institutions are resilient and stable. Our Basic Law protects and guarantees this order,” Merz said. He added that the message was also intended for Germany’s friends in Europe and around the world.

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That is what we need to deliver on now; it is what I want to deliver on, and that is the stance I am taking into talks with our coalition partner

The chancellor defended reform decisions he made last year despite the defeat. “That is what we need to deliver on now; it is what I want to deliver on, and that is the stance I am taking into talks with our coalition partner,” he said.

Merz also said the AfD’s support for Russia would not alter the federal government’s backing for Ukraine. Referring to Russia, he warned that people 2,500 kilometers to Germany’s east would be particularly pleased by the election result and said Germany faced a concrete threat to its internal security.

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And I want to make this very clear: 2,500 kilometers east of here, people are especially delighted with this election result in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt