Germany's Merz vows to hold ruling coalition together after election gains by far right, hard left

Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed Monday to keep his ruling coalition together for the sake of Germany's "democratic future" after crushing defeats in two regional elections fuelled speculation about his future. "We are determined to live up to the historic responsibilities our country is facing," said Merz about the coalition between his centre-right CDU and the centre-left SPD. "It is about nothing less, and nothing more, than the democratic future of our country." Read morePressure grows on Germany's Merz after election defeats The SPD also vowed to remain in the coalition despite the centre-right party suffering heavy losses in Sunday's votes, while hinting it would push for changes to planned reforms. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came first in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the CDU crashed out of the local parliament after its worst ever election result since the party's founding in 1945. Merz described the result as a "heavy blow", adding: "This election is a profound turning point. It is a dramatic, unprecedented result for the CDU in Germany." 'Merz is in a very, very fragile situation' To display this content from YouTube, you m...