Merz faces reckoning after CDU collapse in Saxony-Anhalt

The AfD achieved a landslide victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, while the CDU collapsed to below 20 percent, marking a devastating defeat for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party. Merz has not yet commented publicly, with a joint press conference with CDU candidate Sven Schulze scheduled for Monday at 1:30 PM. The result, less than half of the AfD's share, has shocked the CDU, with Secretary-General Franziska Hoppermann calling it a very heavy outcome. Two scenarios loom: the AfD could take power for the first time in a German state, or a CDU-led minority government might depend on the Left party, both threatening severe turbulence for the party. CDU leaders are already reacting, with Schleswig-Holstein's Daniel Günther calling it an "appalling moment" and demanding major corrections, while Baden-Württemberg's Manuel Hagel warned against leadership debates, urging the party to focus on reforms and rebuilding public trust in the political center.