Merz faces reckoning after far-right AfD's landmark win in eastern Germany

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet with his CDU party to address their heavy defeat to the far-right AfD in a state election in eastern Germany, where the AfD won 44% of the vote against the CDU's 18%. The result marks the AfD's biggest victory yet and puts it close to forming its first state government. The AfD, classified as right-wing extremist by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, fell just three seats short of an absolute majority in the regional parliament, prompting its leaders to push for a government takeover. CDU state premier Sven Schulze blamed national policies for the loss, while AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund mocked Merz, saying every day with him in the chancellery is "one day too many." The result has shocked Germany, with political scientist Oliver Lembcke calling it a "tectonic shift" as the AfD transforms from a protest party into a realistic power contender in parts of the east. Merz, whose approval ratings have dipped, faces renewed questions about his strategy to counter the AfD's growth despite his conservative shift.