German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under mounting pressure after his center-right CDU suffered severe losses in elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin on Sept. 21. The CDU’s result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was its worst in any state election since 1949, while the far-right Alternative for Germany became the state’s strongest party after more than doubling its 2021 result. The AfD also gained in Berlin, where it finished third, while the Left Party won the election. Merz, who has been in office for less than 17 months, faces the lowest approval ratings recorded for any German chancellor and calls to resign, although he said he would remain in office and pursue his reform agenda. The AfD leads nationwide polls with 29%, but other parties continue to reject coalitions with it. Economic stagnation, high living costs, fuel-price increases and industrial job cuts helped drive voters toward both the AfD and the Left Party, making stable governing majorities harder to form.