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German chancellor vows to stay in office despite AfD triumph in state election

The Guardian UK Monday 07 September 2026, 17:48 UTC By Deborah Cole in Berlin 1 min read
Key Points

Friedrich Merz said his conservative CDU was shaken ‘to its very foundations’ after far-right victory in Saxony-AnhaltA “shocked” and chastened Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay in office despite the far right’s triumph in a state election that has brought anti-immigrant, pro-Kremlin politicians within striking distance of power. The German chancellor, appearing ashen-faced in front of reporters in Berlin, said on Monday that the landslide victory by the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in...

Friedrich Merz said his conservative CDU was shaken ‘to its very foundations’ after far-right victory in Saxony-Anhalt

A “shocked” and chastened Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay in office despite the far right’s triumph in a state election that has brought anti-immigrant, pro-Kremlin politicians within striking distance of power.

The German chancellor, appearing ashen-faced in front of reporters in Berlin, said on Monday that the landslide victory by the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt had shaken his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) “to its very foundations”.

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German (ORG) AfD (ORG) Friedrich Merz (PERSON) CDU (ORG) Saxony (LOCATION) pro-Kremlin (ORG) Berlin (LOCATION) Deutschland (LOCATION) Saxony-Anhalt (ORG) Christian Democratic Union (ORG)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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