Merz blames deputy for CDU's Saxony-Anhalt defeat, vows better communication

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has sharply criticized a deputy parliamentary group leader following the CDU's heavy defeat in Saxony-Anhalt's state election, while also acknowledging his own government's communication failures. The CDU secured only 17.2 percent, its worst result in decades, while the AfD won 43.8 percent. Merz accused the unnamed deputy of undermining the party's top candidate days before the vote, with media reports identifying Sepp Müller. Merz pledged to improve how reforms are communicated emotionally, not just rationally, and acknowledged growing public anxiety about the country's direction, though he insisted planned reforms will proceed.