Germany’s Berlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania states head to polls

Germany’s Berlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania states head to pollsFar-right AfD defeated German chancellor’s CDU in recent Saxony-Anhalt state election, casting doubt on his future.Voters in two German states will go to the polls on Sunday, as far-right and far-left gains threaten to affect the political standing of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.Merz, according to a report by the AFP news agency, has scheduled a crisis meeting of his Christian Democratic Union party (CDU), skipped this week’s UN General Assembly meeting in New York, and cleared his calendar to deal with potential aftershocks from the votes in Berlin and the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Tens of thousands march across Germany to protest against far-right AfDlist 2 of 3AfD is rising, but it can still be stoppedlist 3 of 3Germany’s AfD wins in key state: Is far-right on cusp of national rule?end of listPressure on Merz has been mounting after the far-right Germany" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="3089" data-entity-type="organization">Alternative for Germany (AfD) delivered a major defeat to his CDU party two weeks ago in the key state of Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD fell just short of an absolute majority, which would have allowed it to govern on its own.And after just 16 months in power, Merz’s approval ratings have plunged to about 14 percent, the latest polls suggest, as he struggles to push through promised economic and social welfare reforms with his centre-left coalition partners, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), raising doubts among fellow party members whether he can continue to lead.About 2.5 million people are eligible to vote in the capital, Berlin, and nearly 1.3 million in the northeastern coastal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Polling booths open at 8am local time and will close at 6pm.AfD’s main candidate for the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state election, Leif-Erik Holm, attends an election campaign event in Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, northeastern Germany, on September 19, 2026 [Danny Gohlke/AFP]In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Merz’s party is an onlooker to the main battle between the SPD’s popular state premier Manuela Schwesig and the AfD’s lead candidate, former radio presenter Leif-Erik Holm.