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Future of German chancellor hangs in the balance as two states go to polls

The Guardian UK Sunday 20 September 2026, 02:00 UTC By Deborah Cole in Berlin 1 min read
Key Points

Embattled Friedrich Merz faces nervous wait while far-right Alternative für Deutschland party targets further gainsVoters in two German states are going to the polls with the political future of the embattled chancellor, Friedrich Merz, hanging in the balance and an emboldened far right targeting further gains. Coming two weeks after a seismic election in Saxony-Anhalt in which the anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) scored its highest ever result in a regional...

Embattled Friedrich Merz faces nervous wait while far-right Alternative für Deutschland party targets further gains

Voters in two German states are going to the polls with the political future of the embattled chancellor, Friedrich Merz, hanging in the balance and an emboldened far right targeting further gains.

Coming two weeks after a seismic election in Saxony-Anhalt in which the anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) scored its highest ever result in a regional poll, the nativist party is expected to drain support again from Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

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

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