Schwerin, Germany, Sept 21. (dpa/GNA) – The state leader of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, resigned on Monday, after the party’s catastrophic election result.
Lead candidate, Daniel Peters, stepped down as the CDU chairman in the north-eastern state, after the party crashed to just 4.9% in Sunday’s vote, falling below the 5% threshold needed to win seats in parliament.
The result, described by Merz as a “disaster,” was the CDU’s worst in any state, European or national election since its founding in 1945.
Dragged down by Merz’s terrible approval ratings, Peters was unable to stop the bleeding, as the race narrowed to a head-to-head between the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), under governing Premier Manuela Schwesig.
The AfD ultimately won the election by 38.2% to the SPD’s 35.5%, cementing another state win just two weeks after defeating the CDU in nearby Saxony-Anhalt.
In his first public appearance since the election, Peters said he was ready to take personal responsibility for the defeat. “I am certain that the CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will continue to play a key role in the future, even though we will no longer be represented in the state parliament,” he said.
Merz ally Philipp Amthor is to take over as chairman of the state branch until a party conference is convened.
GNA