CDU's Merz Vows Reforms After Saxony-Anhalt Defeat, AfD Wins Big

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the CDU's defeat in Saxony-Anhalt its worst in decades and announced consequences. The far-right AfD won the state election with 43.8 percent, while the CDU fell to 17.2 percent. Merz said the result, where nearly 60 percent voted for parties questioning democratic institutions, cannot be ignored. He pledged to continue reforms but improve communication, and announced talks with the SPD leadership about the government's path forward. CDU state leader Sven Schulze conceded his party has no mandate to govern. AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund claimed a clear mandate to lead, while SPD leader Bärbel Bas criticized Merz's rhetoric as harmful and warned against imposing social reforms against public will.