Germany’s latest state elections have produced a striking shift in the country’s political landscape, with the left-wing Die Linke emerging as the strongest party in Berlin while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) topped the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
In Berlin, Die Linke secured 25.7% of the vote, more than doubling its previous result and recording its strongest performance in the city-state. The party campaigned heavily on housing affordability, rent controls and expanding public housing. Its lead candidate, Elif Eralp, now has the possibility of heading a coalition government, although forming an administration will require negotiations with other parties.
At the same time, the AfD secured 38.2% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, finishing ahead of the Social Democratic Party’s 35.5%. The result gave the AfD 32 seats in the 71-member state parliament. The CDU, led nationally by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, received only 4.9% and failed to cross the five-percent threshold required for parliamentary representation.
The results follow the AfD’s earlier success in Saxony-Anhalt, where it received 43.8% of the vote, according to reported preliminary results. Together, the contests underline growing competition between Germany’s established political parties and parties on both the far-right and far-left.
The AfD describes itself as an anti-establishment and anti-migration party, while Germany’s domestic intelligence service classifies the national organisation as a suspected right-wing extremist organisation. The party disputes such characterisations.
Chancellor Merz described the CDU’s Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania result as a “disaster” but said he would continue his reform programme.
