‘Disastrous’: Germany’s Merz faces mounting pressure after fresh CDU defeats

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a statement at the CDU headquarters in Berlin German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a fresh electoral setback on Sunday as his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lost ground in two state elections, but he rejected suggestions that his government would backtrack on its reform agenda.Exit polls by public broadcaster ARD showed the CDU securing just 5% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its lowest-ever result in a German state since World War II.In Berlin, the centre-right party was projected to finish second with 20%, trailing the Left party, which was estimated to win 24.5%, according to ARD's exit poll.Merz described the CDU’s performance as a “disaster” but remained defiant, arguing that Germany’s economic and political challenges made difficult, and potentially unpopular, reforms more necessary rather than less. He pledged to continue his agenda with “backbone, steadfastness and patience.”His authority had already been weakened by the CDU’s defeat to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the September 6 election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The result had shocked many Germans, triggering protests in several cities in Euro...