Merz Calls Saxony-Anhalt Loss CDU's Worst in Decades, Vows Not to Resign

Speaking on September 7, the day after the AfD's Saxony-Anhalt landslide, Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the result 'the most serious election defeat that the CDU has had for years, for decades,' but ruled out resigning: 'I am thinking non-stop about how we can return to working successfully across party lines. Giving up is not an option for me.' He said 'we need fundamental reforms in Germany' and that 'my determination to continue the reform course is unbroken,' while acknowledging 'we know that Germany carries special responsibility because of its history' in response to international concern over the far right's gains. The comments came as his coalition remained deeply unpopular, struggling to convince voters it can revive the stagnant economy through reforms including a contested pension overhaul, with the AfD's Saxony-Anhalt breakthrough intensifying pressure on Merz just two weeks before the September 20 Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state elections.