The Left Party won Berlin’s state election with 25.3% of the vote, ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at 19%, while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) took 16%, its best result in the capital. The CDU also failed to clear the 5% threshold for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s state parliament, where the AfD finished first, following its victory in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks earlier. Merz called the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a disaster but pledged to remain leader of Germany and the CDU, with no prominent public challenge emerging from party leaders. He intends to pursue reforms to Germany’s sluggish economy, including changes to pensions and healthcare, though the Social Democrats (SPD), his junior coalition partner, said the plans require fairness and reality checks. A proposed end to penalty-free early retirement after 45 years of pension contributions has become a particular point of contention. Merz faces no further electoral tests this year, but five state elections are scheduled next year, including North Rhine-Westphalia.