Buenos Aires, September 21, 2026. The Argentine press first notes a figure: 4.9%. This is the score of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, below the 5% threshold for access to the regional Landtag. According to Ambito, the conservative party thus records its worst result in history and finds itself excluded from a regional parliament for the first time. In contrast, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) wins with 38.2% of the vote, according to Perfil, more than double the 16.7% obtained in the 2021 election in the same region, a progression that Ambito describes as a "crecimiento significativo".

Infobae extensively quotes the chancellor's reaction, who did not try to downplay the shock: "No podemos suavizar el resultado en Mecklemburgo-Pomerania Occidental. Es un desastre," said Friedrich Merz, attributing the defeat to the growing polarization between the SPD and the AfD. The chancellor nonetheless affirmed his intention to remain in office and pursue his program of reforms, evoking a tougher and less conciliatory German society, and a decline in trust in institutions that he attributes to an "ataque activo de partidos radicales de izquierda y derecha".

The second election, in Berlin, completes the picture drawn by the Argentine media. Die Linke comes out on top with 25.7%, ahead of the CDU at 18.8%, while the SPD records its worst result in the capital with 12.1%, reports Perfil. The AfD also makes progress, at 16.1%, without however reaching its goal of becoming the leading political force in Berlin.

A common thread runs through the three accounts: the AfD's electoral breakthrough does not automatically translate into power. Perfil emphasizes that it remains without a partner willing to form a coalition, a situation already observed two weeks earlier in Saxony-Anhalt. The Argentine reading thus prioritizes the mechanics of alliances and the political future of Friedrich Merz over the sociological factors of the vote, a Germany that, in the chancellor's own words quoted by Infobae, must "repensar de raíz la libertad, la seguridad del día a día, la paz".

Canberra, September 21, 2026. The Australian press is treating the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's latest electoral setback as a domestic governance crisis rather than a foreign policy event. According to exit polls relayed by ABC News and SBS, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) came out on top in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sunday with around 37% of the vote, ahead of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) at 35.5%; Chancellor Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) would have obtained only 5.5%, barely clearing the 5% threshold required to sit in the regional parliament, according to SBS. This is the CDU's worst result in the state since 1949.

In Berlin, where an election was also held on the same day, the far-left party Die Linke came out on top with 24.5% of the vote, ahead of the CDU at 20%; the AfD made gains to reach 16%, according to SBS News, which notes that this is the first time Die Linke has dominated an election in the capital, where it promises to nationalize housing owned by corporate landlords and cap rents. "It's a disaster," Merz acknowledged in front of cameras after the release of the exit polls, while indicating that he intended to stay in office and pursue his reform program, reports ABC News.

Australian media are linking this result to a series of five German regional elections that have, according to PerthNow, exposed widespread public frustration with Merz's coalition, whose personal popularity rating does not exceed 10%, according to The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. Two weeks earlier, in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD had already reached nearly 44% while the CDU collapsed to around 17%, recalls PerthNow, fueling rumors of a change in chancellor within the conservative party.

Brussels, September 21, 2026. Two dispatches picked up by the Belgian press, DH and La Libre, draw the same worrying conclusion about the state of the German coalition. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD is winning with 37 to 38% of the vote ahead of the social democrats, according to polls conducted at the exit of polling stations for German public audiovisual media. In Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU is being overtaken by the radical left Die Linke. For the Belgian press, which closely follows the stability of the German federal government, the country's main economic partner and a pillar of the European Union, the issue goes beyond German domestic politics: a weakened chancellor complicates arbitration in Brussels, whether it's about the European budget or support for Ukraine.

Acknowledging a "disaster" for his party, which has fallen to around 5% in this state, Friedrich Merz spoke out as early as Sunday evening, a move deemed exceptional for a regional election, in order to rule out any hypothesis of premature departure, after days of speculation about his longevity in power. "I take this responsibility because I want to move our country forward," he said, while admitting that trust in institutions is "decreasing" and is being "actively undermined by radical left and right parties," a phrase that puts the AfD and Die Linke on the same level.

Brasília, September 21, 2026. The Brazilian press followed Sunday's regional German election primarily from the angle of Friedrich Merz's hold on power, rather than as a simple health check for the far right. According to articles picked up in Brasília, "Friedrich Merz's name will not be on any ballot this Sunday (20) in Germany, but it is an answer about his future as chancellor that will emerge from two state elections," Folha de S.Paulo summarized before the vote, setting the framework from the start: this election is being read in Brasília as a referendum on the chancellor.

The numbers confirm this reading. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD obtained around 38% of the vote according to projections reported by G1, ahead of the SPD of outgoing Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, credited with 35.5%. But the fact considered most significant is not the AfD's victory — already achieved two weeks earlier in Saxony-Anhalt, where the party had nearly reached 44% — it's the failure of Merz's CDU, which remains below the 5% threshold and loses all representation in this regional parliament, a first in 81 years of the party's existence.

In Berlin, the Brazilian press notes that Die Linke came in first with around 25% of the vote, ahead of the CDU (20%); the AfD also made gains there, to 15%. G1 notes that Merz canceled his participation in the UN General Assembly to urgently convene the executive committee of his party, a gesture considered revealing of the internal crisis.

Ottawa, September 21, 2026. Canada's coverage of Sunday's German double election first highlights an unprecedented fact: according to projections from the public channel ARD, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU secured only 4.9% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its worst result in a state since World War II. The Globe and Mail and CBC News emphasize that if this figure is confirmed below 5%, the CDU would fail for the first time in its history to win a seat in a regional parliament, anywhere in Germany. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which the two media outlets describe as an "anti-migration" and "pro-Russia" party, made significant gains in this northeastern state.

In Berlin, the same ARD projections put the CDU in second place — 19.1% according to The Globe and Mail, 20% according to CBC — far behind Die Linke, credited with 25.3% (24.5% according to CBC).

Facing what he himself calls a "disaster", Friedrich Merz refuses to back down. In a statement released Sunday evening after the announcement of the exit polls, he said: "What needs to be done now requires backbone, consistency, and patience", adding: "I will demonstrate these qualities as CDU president and, above all, as Chancellor of our country." He argues that the country's economic and political difficulties make unpopular reforms more urgent, not less.

Santiago, September 21, 2026. The Chilean press portrays the double election in Germany on Sunday as confirmation of a traditional right wing that is running out of steam and a country fractured between two extremes. BioBioChile summarizes the scene in one phrase: Chancellor Friedrich Merz "se aferra al poder" — clings to power — despite what the media calls an "electoral disaster". In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Alternative for Germany doubled its 2021 score to reach nearly 38%, narrowly surpassing an SPD at around 36%, while the CDU collapsed below the 5% threshold and lost, for the first time in its history, all seats in a state parliament. The AfD's candidate for regional president, Leif-Erik Holm, claims a mandate to govern, but BioBioChile emphasizes that the cordon sanitaire of other parties makes this hypothesis unlikely in the absence of an absolute majority; a coalition between the SPD, Die Linke, and the Greens appears to be the most likely outcome in Schwerin.

In Berlin, the second front is also drawing Chilean attention: Die Linke won with around 25% of the vote, ahead of a CDU at 19-20%, which had governed the capital since the repeated elections of 2023. El Ciudadano presents this result as a "historic victory" that occurred "37 years after the fall of the Wall", and highlights the figure of Elif Eralp, the head of the list, described as the daughter of Turkish political refugees, whose message is summarized as promoting "love and justice" in the face of hate. The media sees this as a symbol of a new political era for the German capital, while BioBioChile focuses on the colder parliamentary arithmetic of Schwerin.

Berlin, September 21, 2026. The CDU had never failed to win a regional election since 1949: on Sunday, September 20, 2026, it garnered 4.9% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and remained outside the Schwerin Landtag, where the AfD prevailed with 38.2% ahead of Manuela Schwesig's SPD (35.5%). In Berlin, Die Linke came out on top with 25.3%, and the AfD made progress around 15%.

The Berlin press first interpreted this double vote as a signal to the federal government, not just the regional executives. Tagesschau noted that "many voters used the state election to give the federal government a wake-up call" — which served the AfD, hurt the CDU, and left the SPD almost unscathed thanks to Schwesig's personal profile, with half of the voters saying they voted for her and not for her party.

Friedrich Merz described the result as a "Desaster" on Sunday evening at the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus, citing a lack of "Rückenwind" from Berlin. He immediately ruled out any withdrawal: "I want to move our country forward," he said, promising to maintain the course of reforms he presents as "the means against the authoritarian poison." The FAZ emphasized that no demand for personal consequences had been made within the party's presidium.

The FAZ also documented, as early as Tuesday, the rumor of a CDU minority government without the SPD — a scenario that the chancellor had publicly dismissed ("I don't think much of it") and that the eight CDU minister-presidents had deemed necessary to collectively deny, a sign of internal tensions more intense than the official communication suggests.

Copenhagen, Monday, September 21, 2026. The Danish press is looking back at the double German regional election on Sunday with a unanimous finding: Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party has suffered its worst electoral defeat since 1949. According to Berlingske, the CDU garnered 4.9% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, below the 5% threshold required for entry into the regional parliament, while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in first with around 37% of the votes, ahead of the social-democratic SPD, credited with around 35%. In Berlin, where a second election was held on the same day, Die Linke is ahead of the CDU, which is credited with around 19%, with the AfD making progress at 16%.

Berlingske recalls that the closest precedent dates back to two weeks ago, when the AfD had obtained nearly 44% in Saxony-Anhalt, compared to just 17.2% for the CDU. The media also emphasizes that other German parties continue to oppose the AfD with what they call a "firewall" (brandmur), refusing any coalition with it, both locally and nationally, despite the party's breakthrough.

The same newspaper reports that Social Democratic Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, who is trying to contain the far-right's progress in her own state, accuses the AfD of "creating widespread fear with comments on remigration and culturally diverse workers". She adds, quoted by Reuters during a televised debate: "I find it terrible that people who work here, contribute, and pay their taxes and social security contributions are afraid and do not feel safe."

Madrid, September 21, 2026. The Spanish press sees the double German regional election on Sunday, September 20, 2026, as a verdict first and foremost for Friedrich Merz, before being a snapshot of the German electorate. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) wins with 38.1% of the vote -- it had obtained 16.7% in 2021, notes HuffPost España, which talks about a party that has "practically doubled" its score. Chancellor's CDU falls to 4.9%, below the 5% threshold, a result that ElDiario.es describes as the "worst result in history" for the party in a regional election, and the worst since 1949 according to Reuters, cited by HuffPost España. The conservatives are excluded from the Schwerin Landtag for the first time.

In Berlin, it's Die Linke that wins with 25.4%, a historic first in the capital led by lawyer Elif Eralp, ahead of the CDU (19.7%) and the AfD, which made strong gains at 15.4%. The outgoing SPD-Die Linke coalition loses its majority, according to projections relayed by HuffPost España.

Merz himself acknowledged the shock: "We cannot disguise the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, it's a disaster," he said, cited by ElDiario.es, adding that "trust in the institutions of our country is declining" under the pressure of the extremes. The Chancellor nonetheless announced that he would remain in office, counting on "firmness, constancy, and patience". The economic podcast of Expansión notes that the Financial Times emphasizes, for its part, that Merz "does not resign despite the debacle of his party".

Helsinki, September 21, 2026. Two German regional elections dominated Finnish coverage this weekend: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, which voted on Sunday. According to projections reported by the Finnish press, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) won around 38% of the vote in the northeastern state, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU plummeted to 4.9%, below the 5% threshold required to enter the state parliament. Helsingin Sanomat described this result as the "worst electoral result in the history of the Federal Republic" for the traditionally ruling party. Merz himself acknowledged, as soon as the first estimates were released: "We cannot sugarcoat the electoral result," before announcing that he would remain chancellor and accelerate his reforms, blaming radical parties "on the right and left" for undermining trust in institutions.

In Berlin, Die Linke came out on top with around 25% of the vote, ahead of a CDU that lost eight points to 20%, and an AfD that gained 15-16%. Die Linke's lead candidate, lawyer Elif Eralp, could become mayor, but will need to find coalition partners.

For the Finnish press, the stakes go beyond German domestic politics. MTV Uutiset quoted Jan Feller, director of the Finnish-German Chamber of Commerce, who found Merz's rapid response to the results "very unusual" and interpreted it as a strong signal of the party's support for accelerating reforms. Feller noted that Germany, the largest European economy, is also Finland's largest trading partner: "The better the German economy does, the better Finland does." According to him, the AfD's breakthrough is mainly a protest vote, with many voters describing their choice as a warning to other parties.

Paris, September 21, 2026. Two regional German elections, held on Sunday in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, confirm to the French press the collapse of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU and the entrenchment of the far right, just two weeks after the electoral earthquake in Saxony-Anhalt. In this northeastern state, bordering Poland, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) garnered around 38% of the vote, compared to 16.7% in 2021, a jump of over twenty-one points according to Le Monde. The CDU, meanwhile, plummeted to 4.9%, below the 5% threshold required to sit in the regional parliament. RFI sees this as "a first in the history of the conservative Christian Democratic party," which had controlled this region since reunification.

In Berlin, the second election confirms the fragility of the chancellor without offering any respite to the AfD. Die Linke, led by its top candidate Elif Eralp, came in first with around 25% of the vote, ahead of the CDU at 20%, potentially poised to take the mayor's office. The AfD also made gains, between 13.5% and 16%, compared to 9% in 2023. France 24 sums it up: "the bad news continues to come out of the ballot boxes for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz."

On Sunday evening, Friedrich Merz himself spoke of a "disaster," while ruling out any idea of an early departure. "I take this responsibility because I want to move our country forward," he said, according to RFI, denouncing a loss of confidence in institutions "actively undermined by radical left and right parties." The chancellor, in power for sixteen months and plagued by an unpopularity rate nearing 90%, had canceled his trip to the United Nations General Assembly to manage the aftermath of the vote.

Athens, September 21, 2026. The double election on Sunday in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin is seen in the Greek press less as a German domestic issue than as a signal sent to all of Europe. To Vima headlines with "double urns" that "concern all of Europe", evoking a "dystopian, if not dangerous" image, where the breakthrough of the far right, the repeated negative records of the CDU, economic gloom, and a chancellor who still does not know if he is counting his days combine.

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD surpasses the SPD of Manuela Schwesig and wins around 38%, more than double its score five years ago, while the CDU of Friedrich Merz, below the 5% threshold, is excluded from a Landtag for the first time in its history - its worst regional performance since 1949, according to To Vima. In Berlin, the opposite is striking: Die Linke, carried by the Turkish-origin lawyer Elif Eralp, 45, comes first with 25.3%, ahead of the CDU (around 20%), the AfD also progressing around 15-16%. To Vima nicknames her "the Mamdani of Berlin" and emphasizes that 48% of 16-29-year-olds voted for her.

This victory resonates particularly in Athens: Syriza welcomes, in a statement relayed by Naftemporiki, "a historic victory for the left" of its "sister party" Die Linke, which opens, according to it, "new paths for the European left" in the face of a far right in constant progression. Naftemporiki also relays Alice Weidel's call for the CDU to lift its "protective wall" against the AfD, the co-president judging Merz weakened in part because he refuses any cooperation with her party.

Budapest, September 21, 2026. The Hungarian press first notes the historic scale of the CDU's debacle. According to 444, Friedrich Merz's party garnered only 4.9% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, below the 5% threshold: "never before had the party failed to enter a regional parliament," the media outlet notes, recalling that the CDU's previous worst score dated back to 1951 in Bremen, with 9%. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), on the other hand, emerged victorious with 38.2% of the vote, narrowly ahead of the SPD at 35.5%, according to the figures cited by 444 — more than double its score five years ago.

Index.hu summarizes the shock in a straightforward headline: "Under Friedrich Merz, the chancellor's seat is wavering, Alice Weidel is already closing in." The media outlet sees this as confirmation of a trend that began two weeks earlier in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD had already achieved a historic score. Telex emphasizes the magnitude of the Christian Democratic collapse: the party has lost more than half of its voters in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and a third in Berlin compared to the previous election — "never in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany has the traditionally strongest party been excluded from a regional parliament," the media outlet writes.

In Berlin, where Die Linke is expected to come out on top, the Hungarian coverage remains secondary to the fate of the chancellor. HVG reports Merz's own words, spoken as soon as the polling stations closed: "We cannot sugarcoat the results of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It's a catastrophe." The chancellor has nonetheless ruled out resigning, stating his intention to continue the economic reforms underway.

Rome, September 21, 2026. The Italian press is treating the German double election of September 20 as less of a domestic issue for Berlin than as a warning to the entire European Union. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is winning in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with around 38.2% of the vote, ahead of the SPD (35.5%), while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU is collapsing at 4.9%, below the 5% threshold: it is leaving the regional parliament, a first in the party's 81-year history, its worst score since 9% in Bremen in 1951. The Greens (5.7%) are entering, but neither the regional Die Linke (6.9%) nor the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (4.8%) are changing the situation in a landscape dominated by the AfD and the SPD. In Berlin, Die Linke, led by lawyer Elif Eralp, is coming in first with around 25% of the vote, ahead of the CDU (20%) and the AfD, which is the third force with 13 to 15%. Friedrich Merz has acknowledged at the Adenauer Haus that he cannot sugarcoat the result in Mecklenburg, which he calls a disaster, but has ruled out any resignation: "I assume this responsibility, I want to move the country forward," he said, promising to continue his reforms. Alice Weidel immediately called on the chancellor to draw conclusions, while her co-president Tino Chrupalla retorted that it was not the AfD that was demanding a cordon sanitaire.

Vilnius, September 21, 2026. The Lithuanian press first notes the extent of the setback inflicted on Friedrich Merz rather than the Alternative for Germany (AfD) victory itself. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) garnered only 4.9% of the vote, below the 5% threshold required to sit in the Landtag. According to Kauno diena and Verslo žinios, this is the worst score in the party's history — worse than the 9% recorded in Bremen in 1951 — and the very first time in 81 years that the CDU has failed to enter a regional, European, or federal parliament. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in far ahead with 38.2% of the vote, ahead of the SPD (35.5%), while Die Linke (6.5%) and the Greens (5.7%) also entered the Landtag, and Sahra Wagenknecht's populist alliance also failed, with 4.8%.

Despite its victory, the AfD is not expected to come to power in the region: 15min notes that the party will remain out of power in the two voting states, due to the "firewall" that other parties maintain against it. However, its leader Alice Weidel has claimed the breakthrough: "We are the strongest force and we have reached the heart of the population," she said, adding that they have "ousted the CDU from its position as a popular party."

The Hague, Monday, September 21, 2026. For the Dutch press, Sunday's double regional election in Germany confirms a shift already underway at the beginning of September in Saxony-Anhalt. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is ahead of the SPD and becomes, according to the first estimates from ARD relayed by the NRC, the leading party in the state with around 37% of the vote, compared to 35.5% for the social democrats. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU falls below the 5% threshold, a level the party had never missed in a regional election since its post-war founding — a precedent that the NRC describes as unprecedented in the party's history.

In Berlin, where the campaign focused mainly on the housing crisis, Die Linke achieves a breakthrough of 24.5%, largely carried by former abstentionists, and overtakes a CDU that is down 8.2 points to around 20%. The AfD also makes progress, up to around 16%, its best score ever recorded in the capital. De Telegraaf sums up the evening in one word: a "new political slap" for Germany, with the CDU failing to clear the electoral threshold in Schwerin while Die Linke dethrones the CDU in the federal capital.

Oslo, September 21, 2026. The Norwegian press first notes the political survival of Friedrich Merz. According to VG, the chancellor described the result as a "catastrophe" for his party without announcing his resignation, promising to show "backbone, firmness, and patience" at the head of the CDU and the country. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the CDU fell to 4.9% of the vote, compared to 13.3% in 2021: it failed for the first time in its history to cross the 5% threshold in a regional, European, or federal election, erasing its previous worst score, 9% in Bremen in 1951. The party remains outside the regional parliament.

The AfD, on the other hand, more than doubled its score compared to 2021 (16.7%) and obtained 32 of the 71 seats, according to the count reported by VG. The SPD came in second with 35.5% and 29 seats; Die Linke and the Greens each won five seats. The alliance of Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) also failed to clear the 5% threshold, with 4.8%.

Aftenposten emphasizes that the other parties exclude any cooperation with the AfD, which should therefore remain outside the regional government despite its victory in votes. The SPD could continue to lead the Land by integrating the Greens into its current coalition with Die Linke. The result remains provisional: the electoral commission must validate it on September 30.

Warsaw, September 21, 2026. The Polish press closely followed the double election on Sunday, September 20, 2026, in Germany, where the Alternative for Germany (AfD) won in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 38.2% of the vote, ahead of the social-democratic SPD party (35.5%). The CDU of Chancellor Friedrich Merz garnered 4.9%: a result that RMF24 described as the "najgorszy rezultat w historii" (the worst result in its history), and which excluded the party from a regional parliament for the first time. According to this media outlet, only 2% of voters aged 16 to 24 and 3% of those aged 25 to 34 voted for the CDU in this state. The composition of the future Schwerin Landtag, with Die Linke at 6.5% and the Greens at 5.7%, is expected to keep Manuela Schwesig (SPD) at the head of the regional government.

In Berlin, the Polish press reported on the victory of Die Linke, credited with around 26% of the vote ahead of the CDU (20%) and the AfD (13.5%). Elif Eralp, the lead candidate for Die Linke, is presented as potentially becoming the first immigrant-born mayor of the German capital: "Od dziś wspólnie zmieniamy nasz Berlin," she said, according to Dziennik.pl, meaning "from today, we are changing our Berlin together."

Lisbon, September 21, 2026. The Portuguese press is widely covering the double electoral earthquake that occurred on Sunday, September 20, 2026, across the border. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) won with around 38% of the vote, according to the projection by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen for the public channel ZDF, more than doubling its 2021 score (16.7%) and surpassing the SPD, which received 36.5%. The CDU of Chancellor Friedrich Merz collapsed to around 5%, its worst regional result since World War II, and risks being excluded from the Landtag for the first time in its history.

In Berlin, Die Linke came in first with around 24.5 to 25.3% ahead of the CDU at 20%, while the AfD gained up to 15%. The Observador quotes Merz: "the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania cannot be ignored" and "it was a disaster." However, the Chancellor has ruled out any resignation, repeating his desire to "assume this responsibility" and continue the promised economic and social reforms.

The Jornal Económico emphasizes that the AfD's victory remains sterile in terms of seats: the party would obtain 27 to 28 deputies, far from the 36 needed for an absolute majority, and "all other parties categorically reject coalitions with the far-right." A new coalition led by the SPD, under the incumbent Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, appears to be the most likely outcome, continuing the existing alliance with Die Linke.

Bucharest, September 21, 2026. The Romanian press first notes the unprecedented downfall of Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union, excluded for the first time in its history from a Landtag. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the CDU garnered 4.9% of the vote according to Infratest dimap, below the 5% threshold, compared to 13% in 2021: "the worst result in the party's history," notes Mediafax, which recalls that never since the founding of the Federal Republic had the CDU failed to meet this threshold in a regional election. The Chancellor himself described the score as a "disaster" that "cannot be sugarcoated," saying he was "overwhelmed by the polarization between the SPD and the AfD."

The Alternative for Germany won with 38.3% in this region, narrowly surpassing the SPD (35.4%), which lost its first-place position after twenty-eight years of uninterrupted governance in Schwerin. Digi24, citing The Guardian, notes that this election comes two weeks after the Saxony-Anhalt election, where the AfD, described as "anti-immigration and pro-Kremlin," had already achieved its best regional score. The publication questions Merz's ability to remain in power "after only sixteen months in office" and mentions, without much conviction, the possibility of early elections.

In Berlin, it is Die Linke that dominates the Romanian narrative: 25.3% of the vote, the best result for the radical left in the capital since the 1990 reunification, a score doubled compared to 2023. The CDU fell to around 19%, the SPD dropped below 12%, while the AfD progressed to 14-16%. The incumbent CDU-SPD coalition lost its majority; G4Media details the profile of the head of the list Elif Eralp, 45, born in Munich to Turkish immigrant parents and naturalized German in 1996, poised to become mayor with a Linke-Verts-SPD alliance.

Belgrade, September 21, 2026. The Serbian press is primarily focusing on the reaction of the AfD itself and that of Warsaw to Sunday's vote in East Germany, rather than the details of the Berlin polls. According to projections reported by N1 Serbia, the Alternative for Germany is leading in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 37.7% of the vote, ahead of the SPD at 35.5%, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU is at 5.2%, just above the 5% threshold. This election was described by Politika, before the vote, as a "new test" for a chancellor whose popularity rating had fallen to 14% in the polls.

The co-chair of the AfD, Alice Weidel, immediately called on Friedrich Merz to "learn from" this historic defeat and abandon the "protective wall" that prohibits any alliance with her party. She warned that the CDU had weakened itself by systematically refusing to cooperate with the AfD, according to reports by N1 Serbia.

However, it is the warning from Poland that is drawing the most attention from Politika. The Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, is concerned about the combination of German rearmament and the rise of nationalism, citing a troubling proximity between the Polish far right and AfD MEPs, whom he says he has seen "eating out of each other's hands" during debates in the European Parliament, "united in this anti-EU and anti-European frenzy". He also notes that the East German leader of the party refers to his region as "Central Germany", a shift that he considers revealing with regard to neighboring Poland, where he himself is from Szczecin.

Moscow, September 21, 2026. The final results confirm a "historic turning point": in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) wins 38.2% of the vote, ahead of the social democrats (35.5%), while the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Chancellor Friedrich Merz collapses to 4.9%, below the 5% threshold. This, TASS emphasizes, is the first time in the country's history that the conservative party has been excluded from a regional parliament. In Berlin, the radical Left (Die Linke) comes in first with 25.3%, ahead of the CDU, which is credited with around 20%, and the AfD, which is gaining ground with 16%.

TASS stresses the significance of the election for the far-right line: the AfD, the agency recalls, "calls for restoring ties with Russia, lifting sanctions against it, and resuming Russian gas deliveries," while also demanding an end to arms supplies to Kiev. Co-chair Alice Weidel has urged Friedrich Merz to "draw the consequences" and abandon the "cordon sanitaire" that excludes any cooperation with her party, accusing him of having precipitated the CDU's defeat and handed victory to Die Linke in Berlin.

Stockholm, Monday, September 21, 2026. The Swedish press is reading the electoral rout of the CDU as an unprecedented earthquake in the history of Friedrich Merz's party. According to Dagens Nyheter, the Christian Democrats had never missed a regional parliament since their post-war founding: on Sunday, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the CDU stopped at 4.9%, below the 5% threshold required to sit. "It's the first time in the party's history that it didn't even get into a state parliament," emphasizes correspondent Anna-Lena Laurén, who recalls that the CDU was founded after World War II as a popular Christian party, Protestant and Catholic, carried by the figure of Konrad Adenauer.

Meanwhile, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) confirms its progress: it becomes the leading party in the state with just over 38%, just two weeks after its score of nearly 44% in Saxony-Anhalt, recalls Svenska Dagbladet. Friedrich Merz, for his part, has described the result as a "katastrof": "There's no way to beautify this result," he said, according to Die Zeit cited by SvD.

In Berlin, the dynamic is reversed: Die Linke comes in first with around 25.5% of the vote, up 13 points, while the outgoing CDU falls 9 points to 19%. Its lead candidate Elif Eralp hailed the victory: "In our city, love has triumphed over hate and hate rhetoric," she said, according to Aftonbladet, citing Bild. The AfD is also making progress in the capital, around 15 to 16%.

Singapour, 21 September 2026. The German polls on Sunday are making headlines in Singapore's media from a particular angle: the shockwave the vote sends to Brussels and to the entire transatlantic order, already fragile. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) garnered 38.3% of the votes, outpacing the social democrats (SPD) at 35.4%, according to the projections of public broadcaster ARD, as reported by the Straits Times. This is the second regional victory for the far-right party in a month, after Saxony-Anhalt earlier in September. Even more significant for Singapore, which closely follows the stability of its main European trade partner: Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) fell to 4.9%, below the 5% threshold, and finds itself excluded from the regional parliament for the first time in its history — its worst score since 1949. In Berlin, the radical left party Die Linke came in first with 25.3%, the CDU dropped to 19%, and the AfD made gains at 16.3% in a capital nonetheless known for being liberal. Merz described the result as a "disaster" but ruled out resigning, stating he wants to pursue his reforms. He warned that "trust in our country's institutions is eroding," undermined in his view "by radical parties, on the left as well as the right." The Straits Times notes that Merz's weakening, at the helm of the EU's "largest and most powerful" member, could undermine the bloc's unity at a time when relations with Washington have clearly cooled and economic pressures are intensifying. Channel News Asia, on the other hand, points out that Merz spoke on television just minutes after the first estimates, a move that political scientist Oliver Lembcke, from the University of the Ruhr in Bochum, interprets as an attempt to "define the narrative" before an expected wave of criticism. For the city-state, dependent on open global trade and stable multilateral alliances, the question is not so much about who will govern Schwerin, but whether a durably weakened chancellor can still carry Europe's voice in the face of Washington, Moscow, and global trade negotiations.

Ankara, September 21, 2026. Two regional German elections, held on Sunday, September 20, 2026, are occupying the Turkish press less for their consequences on Friedrich Merz than for what they say about the place of minorities and the Turkish diaspora in Germany.

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is credited with around 38% of the votes according to estimates from the public channel ZDF, while Chancellor Merz's CDU is capped at around 5%, below the threshold required to enter the regional parliament. This is the worst result for the CDU in a regional election since 1949, a historic first for the party. Leif Erik Holm, the AfD's lead candidate in this state, acknowledged that his party would likely not participate in the regional government, as other parties are refusing any alliance with him.

In Berlin, it is Die Linke that is ahead of the CDU, with around 26% of the votes against 20%, according to exit polls from ARD and ZDF cited by the BBC in Turkish. Its lead candidate, Turkish-origin lawyer Elif Eralp, is in a position to become the first immigrant mayor-governor of Berlin. After the announcement, she stated: "In our city, love and justice have prevailed over hate."

Kyiv, September 21, 2026. Ukrainian editorial offices are opening their Sunday editions with an unprecedented figure in the history of the Federal Republic: the CDU of Friedrich Merz, with only 4.9% of the votes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, failed to reach the 5% threshold and, for the first time in its history, is excluded from a Landtag. Kyiv Post recalls that on the same Sunday, in Berlin, the Christian Democrats were also fighting to retain the capital, two elections presented as a high-risk test for the chancellor. NV Ukraine dedicates its dispatch to this brutal observation: "the party of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the CDU, did not cross the 5% threshold and will be excluded from the regional parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania," according to the preliminary official results cited by the agency.

The same media reports the chancellor's reaction, who describes this setback as a "catastrophe" while announcing his intention to remain in office and pursue his reforms. This double sequence, the admission of defeat followed by the refusal to give in, structures the Ukrainian narrative: Merz appears weakened, but not overthrown.

Kyiv Post places the election in a trajectory already underway: two weeks earlier, in another East German state, Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD had collected 43.8% of the votes, a record participation. The correspondent also describes the mobilization that came to counter this dynamic in Schwerin: a bus named "Adenauer SPR+", placards proclaiming that racism is not an alternative, others more direct against the AfD. Faced with this surge, the social democrat Manuela Schwesig, 52, who has been leading the state for nearly a decade, appears as the last local bulwark.

London, Monday, September 21, 2026. The British press first notes the fragility of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, sixteen months after his arrival in power. On Sunday, two regional German elections confirmed the erosion of his party: in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the CDU fell below the 5% threshold necessary to sit in the Landtag, its worst result in a state since World War II, according to the exit poll cited by The Independent. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), far-right, came out on top of the election, two weeks after its large victory in Saxony-Anhalt, where the CDU's score had already been halved.

In Berlin, the BBC and The Independent report a different shift: the CDU, given second with 20%, according to the exit poll by the public channel ARD, is overtaken by Die Linke, credited with 24.5%. The German capital could thus lose its conservative mayor.

Merz described the result as a "disaster" for his party, while ruling out any idea of withdrawal. "What needs to be done now requires backbone, consistency, and patience," he said in front of the Berlin headquarters of the CDU, promising to pursue his package of economic, fiscal, and social reforms. The BBC reports that rumors of a "chancellor swap", a replacement of the chancellor during his term, have been circulating in Berlin for several weeks, even if his internal rivals remain, according to the media Tagesschau cited by the BBC, "still hesitant".

The United States is taking note of a significant figure: 5%, the score obtained by Friedrich Merz's CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Sunday, a low point never reached by the conservative party since the end of World War II, according to exit polls from public broadcaster ARD cited by CBS News, ABC News, and NPR. For American newsrooms, the event goes beyond a simple regional setback: it's a test of the political solidity of the chancellor at the helm of "Europe's largest economy," as he attempts to impose economic reforms deemed painful.

Merz, who came to power 16 months ago with the promise of reviving an economy that had been stagnant for years, qualified the result as a "disaster" while refusing to change course. NPR and CBS quote his statement: "What needs to be done now requires backbone, consistency, and patience," he said, adding that he would demonstrate these qualities "as president of the CDU and, above all, chancellor of our country." ABC News emphasizes that the chancellor, for now, has no intention of resigning, despite an already eroded authority following the defeat on September 6 in Saxony-Anhalt against the AfD.

The American press is highlighting the historic significance of the exclusion: according to Bloomberg, the CDU is on the verge of being expelled from a regional assembly for the first time in its post-war history. ABC News recalls that the AfD, qualified as an anti-immigration and pro-Russian party, narrowly missed a majority in Saxony-Anhalt and now has its best chance of forming the first far-right regional government since World War II — although Leif Erik Holm, its lead candidate, himself deemed a government participation unlikely.