Friedrich Merz has described the outcome of the state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as a "disaster," according to RTL.de, but said he intends to remain chancellor and press ahead with his reform course.
The CDU leader's comments came in the wake of the two votes, which were held on the same day. Tagesspiegel reported that Merz gave a statement after what it also called a "disaster" in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in which he made clear he would stay in office and keep pursuing his reform agenda.
Merz also had a message for those he characterized as predicting his downfall, according to n-tv.de, which reported that the CDU chief addressed "doomsayers" directly.
Coverage of the results has been extensive across German outlets. Tagesschau.de framed Merz's response as an attempt to play for time following the state elections, while a ZDFheute commentary said the votes in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mark the point at which things get serious.
The results cover two separate state parliaments: Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The material available does not include vote shares, seat counts, or the specific parties' totals, and no coalition outcomes have been reported here.
What to watch next: whether Merz's stated commitment to his reform course holds as his party confronts the fallout from both state results.