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A visibly shaken but also determined Friedrich Merz spoke in Berlin about the AfD's election victory in Saxony-Anhalt and the CDU's bitter defeat. He insisted on sticking to his reforms.
The Christian Democrats have emerged as the strongest party following local elections in the state of Lower Saxony. The vote was closely watched as an indicator of the strength of the far-right AfD, which came in third.
Germany's chancellor nixxed his trip over doubts about his leadership after party losses to the AfD in state elections. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Pistorius is in Washington for talks with his US counterpart.
Following the CDU's crushing defeat in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, many are expressing doubts about the party's leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz. But the CDU doesn't appear to have a viable alternative.
