German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that political “extremism” was forcing its way into Germany’s legislatures after the far-right Alternative for Germany secured a key parliamentary post in Saxony-Anhalt and the far-left Left Party won Berlin’s state election.
The developments deepen pressure on Merz as his Christian Democrats face setbacks on both sides of the political spectrum.
Merz spoke after AfD lawmaker Tobias Rausch was elected president of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on Tuesday following the party’s first-place finish in last month’s state election.
Rausch received 48 votes in a secret ballot, exceeding the combined 44 votes held by the AfD and the far-left BSW, indicating support from at least four additional lawmakers.
There is no evidence showing which lawmakers provided those votes.
Merz urged politicians not to cooperate with the AfD and said support for its candidate was incompatible with the values of his Christian Democratic Union.
The result has renewed scrutiny of the “firewall” maintained by mainstream parties against cooperation with the AfD.
The BSW had pledged to back the AfD candidate, and the two parties used their new parliamentary majority to introduce a motion seeking an end to German military and financial support for Ukraine and the lifting of sanctions on Russia.
Merz cautioned against drawing conclusions about the secret ballot.
Merz’s warning also followed the Left Party’s victory in Berlin’s September 20 state election, where lead candidate Elif Eralp focused her campaign on rising housing costs.
Eralp pledged to pursue the nationalisation of private housing associations, following a 2021 referendum in which 58 percent of voters supported such a move.
The result roughly doubled the Left Party’s previous score and could make Eralp Berlin’s first mayor from the party.
The setbacks come as Merz faces sharply deteriorating public support.
An ARD survey earlier this month found only one in 10 respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with his performance, the lowest rating for any chancellor since the survey began in 1997.
Germany’s next major electoral test is expected in North Rhine-Westphalia, where voters are set to elect a new parliament in April.