Migrants in Eastern Germany Report Rising Hostility Amid AfD Gains

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with about 38.2% of the vote, ahead of the Social Democrats at roughly 35.5%, marking its second state-level victory this month. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered a historic collapse, receiving 4.9% and missing the five-percent threshold for representation in a state parliament for the first time in postwar Germany. The AfD lacks a governing majority and is unlikely to form a coalition because other parties have ruled out cooperation. In Berlin, the Left led, while the CDU took about 19% and the AfD gained ground, underscoring broader political fragmentation. Merz called the results a disaster but vowed to remain chancellor and CDU leader and pursue economic, pension and welfare reforms, although the defeats have weakened his authority and raised questions about continued party support.