The CDU scored 4.9% on 20 September 2026, falling below the 5% threshold for the first time in any German state election since 1945.
The AfD won Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 38.2% of the vote, two weeks after securing 43.8% in Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September 2026.
Die Linke took first place in Berlin with 25.7% under candidate Elif Eralp, while the SPD dropped to a historic low of 12.1%.
Following the defeat, Daniel Peters resigned as state CDU chairman and 33-year-old lawmaker Philipp Amthor assumed interim leadership.
Dmitry Peskov stated on 22 September 2026 that the AfD's position on improving German-Russian ties cannot fail to arouse Moscow's sympathy.
State parliamentary elections held on Sunday produced significant shifts across two German regions. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place with 38.2% of the vote, finishing ahead of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which received 35.5%. Die Linke secured 6.5% and the Greens reached 5.7%. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received 4.9%, falling below the 5% electoral threshold for the first time in any state election since the party formed in 1945. These results follow a state election two weeks earlier on 6 September 2026 in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD won with 43.8% of the vote, leading the CDU by more than 26 percentage points.
Data from the article text
The regional result prompted immediate leadership changes within the CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Party leader and lead candidate Daniel Peters submitted his resignation on Monday following the vote count.
“I am sure that in the future the CDU will continue to play a key role in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, even if we are no longer represented in the Landtag.”
Philipp Amthor, a 33-year-old member of the Bundestag, took over interim party leadership duties until a regional party conference elects a permanent successor. German Chancellor and federal CDU leader Friedrich Merz described the state results as catastrophic. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel, who previously held a Bundestag constituency in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, urged the party to build bridges across society.
“I would also add: between people with and without a history of migration.”
In Berlin, Die Linke won Sunday's election with 25.7% of the vote, improving from 12.2% in 2023. The CDU dropped to 18.8%, while the AfD recorded 16.3%, the Greens took 14.3%, and the SPD secured 12.1%, its lowest level in city history. Lead candidate Elif Eralp won 50.4% in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg 1 constituency. Die Linke is pursuing coalition negotiations with the Greens and the SPD, while exploring policy proposals to expropriate approximately 200,000 apartments from large housing corporations, following a 2021 referendum that passed with 59% support. The policy carries estimated compensation costs between 10 billion and 40 billion euros, funded partly through increased taxes on commercial activity, luxury villas, and real estate. Controversy arose during the election night event in Neukölln, where clan figure Issa Remmo appeared, drawing public criticism from Governing Mayor Kai Wegner and CDU candidate Stefan Evers.
Data from the article text
The election outcomes drew responses from foreign officials. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed reports regarding AfD foreign policy positions on 22 September 2026.
“I do not have such information, but at least as a political force in Germany whose popularity shows a steady upward trend and which speaks about the expediency of improving relations with our country, the AfD cannot fail to arouse our sympathy.”
Peskov contrasted AfD policy statements with the confrontational stances taken by Chancellor Merz. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel stated on Monday that the party plans to open dialogue channels with Russia alongside the United States. In Warsaw, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski commented on Tuesday that Polish nationalist politicians who previously aligned with the AfD are re-evaluating their positions following the party's regional wins. Sikorski pointed to AfD demands regarding the withdrawal of United States forces from Germany and its terminology referring to the former East Germany as central Germany.
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Alternative for Germany won Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 38.2% while Die Linke secured Berlin with 25.7%, causing the Christian Democratic Union to drop out of a regional parliament for the first time.
AI text based on reports by Do Rzeczy, Deutsche Welle, Rzeczpospolita and other publishers. Changed .