International news in seven languages
Topic
In Berlin, La Gauche is the leader of the regional elections with 25.3% of the votes, a first in this Land, due in part to the one who embodies the movement there, Elif Eralp. If it reached an agreement with the Social Democrats and the Greens, Die Linke's leader could become the first female mayor of the immigrant capital. In recent weeks, his approach and speech have been particularly convincing.
The extreme right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is victorious on Sunday 20 September in regional elections in the Land of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the north-east of the country, while the radical left party, Die Linke, won a separate election in the capital Berlin. Both elections resulted in heavy losses for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Anne Salles, a lecturer in German studies at Sorbonne University, was the guest of FRANCE 24.
The far right AfD claims it has become Germany’s new “people’s party”. The statement comes after AfD claimed its second regional election win in as many weeks, ramping up pressure on the poorly performing CDU and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The far-left party also advanced, winning its third regional election thanks to its latest victory in Berlin. Perspective spoke to Hans Stark, professor in contemporary German civilization at Sorbonne University, who said that Merz is now in a very fragile situation, but that there is no obvious candidate to take over from him.
The radical left party Die Linke came to the top of the polls in the city state of Berlin after a regional election, ahead of the already weakened conservative CDU party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
One candidate has been making headlines in Berlin in recent weeks: Elif Eralp of the left-wing Die Linke party. Her campaign methods and rhetoric have drawn comparisons with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Anne Mailliet, Paul-Louis Godard and Leyla Sobler report.
The far-right AfD has come first in the state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with Chancellor Merz's CDU failing to enter parliament. Meanwhile the Left Party took first place in Berlin. DW has more.
Elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have dealt the CDU a historic defeat while the AfD saw a massive gain. The pressure on Germany's unpopular chancellor is mounting.
Two weeks after the triumph of AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, the results of the regional elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania confirm the breakthrough of the far right in Germany. It is a debacle for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU, who has acknowledged his failure but remains on course, promising to continue the reforms undertaken. Jeannette Süss (of the Ifri Franco-German Relations Study Committee) was the Invitation of At the Heart of Info.
Berlin correspondent Jess Parker explains why German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay on despite exit polls in two local elections suggesting damaging defeats for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
The German regional elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin both marked the defeat of the same party: Friedrich Merz's CDU. After the recent shock caused by the wide-ranging victory of the far right in Saxony-Anhalt, already analysed as a failure of the Chancellor's policy, can Friedrich Merz survive these two new setbacks?
Despite making significant gains in both Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right AfD remains without options to form a state government.
Germans headed to the polls today in two state elections - in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Exit polls suggest a dramatic loss for the Chancellor Freidrich Mertz's Christian Democratic Union party. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent in Berlin, Jörg Taszman.
Exit polls show damaging losses for Merz's centre-right CDU party in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin.
Exit polls have the far-right AfD leading the Social Democrats in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the Left Party ahead in Berlin. Merz referred to the outcome as "a disaster". DW has more.
Nearly four million German voters are called to the polls on Sunday for two regional elections where the progress of the far-right AfD party and the radical left could cause further turmoil in Berlin and affect Chancellor Friedrich Merz, already very fragile. We're talking to our columnist Antoine Mariotti.
The voting operations in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (north-east) must take place until 18:00 (16:00 GMT), when the first estimates must be published. Our correspondent Caroline Du Bled is in front of the polling stations.
Two German states are heading to the polls today – in Berlin and the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The far-right AfD party is expected to make further gains after securing a historic win in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks ago, though it has no realistic path to power in Berlin. Sunday's vote is a key test for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, one that could determine whether he can hold on to power. Details with Jamie Smith-Maillet, FRANCE 24 international affairs editor.
Elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are expected to bring gains for the far-right AfD party and could determine whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz can hold on to power. Follow DW live.
Polling is underway in the German capital Berlin and the largely rural state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for regional elections. Both elections are seen as a test for Germany's centre-right Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He has already scheduled a crisis meeting and decided to skip this week's UN General Assembly to deal with the potential fallout. Could he be forced to step down based on the election’s results? Details and analysis by Yann Wernert, senior policy fellow at the Jacques Delors Centre in Berlin.
Nearly four million German voters are called to the polls this Sunday, 20 September, for two regional elections where the progress of the far right and the radical left could cause further turmoil in Berlin and affect Chancellor Friedrich Merz, already very fragile. We're talking to our correspondent Caroline du Bled.
