Merz vows CDU response after Saxony-Anhalt election defeat

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that the CDU's heavy defeat in Saxony-Anhalt's state election will have "consequences," calling the result "the most severe electoral defeat" the party has suffered in years. The far-right AfD won the election with 43.8% of the vote, more than doubling its 2021 share, while the CDU fell to 17.2%. Merz attributed the result to a society "longing for disruption" and pledged to improve the government's communication of its reform agenda. Merz faces low approval ratings, with 78% of respondents in a recent poll saying he performs worse than expected. Calls are growing for the CDU's state leadership to resign, though Schulze ruled out any CDU defections to help the AfD form a government.