Germany's right-wing party AfD returns strong election results

State elections have returned with majority support for Germany's right-wing anti-immigration party, AfD, according to exit polls. If poll results are confirmed, they would be the worst results since 1949 for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union. What's next? Mr Merz has signalled he will push on as chancellor amid speculation the bad result could prompt him to resign. The right-wing Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party has made strong gains in more state elections, according to exit polls, leaving Chancellor Friedrich Merz's future balanced on a knife's edge after 16 months in office. The AfD emerged with 37 per cent of votes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, according to polls conducted by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. However the anti-immigration party is set to remain iced out of power in both states due a "firewall" of non-cooperation, agreed by other major parties. The firewall was formally established in 2018, acting as an agreement between mainstream parties to suppress the growing influence of extreme politics, by ruling out any coalition with far-right-aligned parties. Worst results since 1949 If confirmed, the results from Sunday's election would be the worst in any state election for Mr Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 1949. It would also be another first-place finish at state level for the AfD party, which is topping national opinion polls despite being shunned by mainstream parties. "It's a disaster," Mr Merz said in televised remarks after the exit polls were published, but signalled that he would fight on as chancellor after speculation that a bad result could prompt him to resign. Another state election in the capital Berlin also took place on Sunday, with the far-left Die Linke party polling 24.5 per cent, while Mr Merz’s conservatives stood at 20 per cent. The AfD also gained in strength, polling 16 per cent of votes in Berlin. The future of Friedrich Merz Sunday's results may not prove a knock-out blow for Mr Merz, who last week received backing from eight conservative state premiers. Low approval ratings, unpopular reforms and the triumph of AfD in the earlier Saxony-Anhalt state election have left the chancellor's future in question. The elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin follow the early September election in Saxony-Anhalt, a pivotal moment where the AfD came close to winning an absolute majority. The support for AfD is expected to drain backing for Mr Merz's CDU party, which has since called for a party meeting to discuss the way forward. The AfD pitted the two state elections as their first stride in winning the federal election due in 2029. The party's poster policies have included leaving the European Union, restoring relations with Russia, significant reductions in immigration and tightening asylum laws. In just over a decade, AfD transformed itself from a fringe movement to the country's most popular party.