Bavarian Premier Söder: Germany faces a crisis after CDU defeat

Bavarian Premier Markus Söder has declared that Germany is in a state of crisis, not just a coalition crisis, following the CDU's electoral defeat. He made the statement in an interview with Bild newspaper. Söder said the CSU will not initiate a move to oust Chancellor Friedrich Merz, though he did not rule out such a proposal from the CDU. He emphasized that giving up is not in Merz's character and expressed hope the federal government will last until 2029. The statement follows the September 6 election in Saxony-Anhalt, where the Alternative for Germany party won 43.8% of votes, while Merz's CDU received 17.2% and the SPD 9.3%. Bloomberg warned the result could signal rising support for parties willing to restore ties with Russia.