Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Merz Gains Brief Relief as AfD Advances in Germany
Friedrich Merz is Germany’s chancellor and leads the CDU party.
The CDU performed best in municipal elections in Lower Saxony.
This gave Merz some relief after a difficult result for his party the previous week.
However, the AfD also gained many votes and came third overall.
The CDU won the mayor’s race in Wolfsburg, but the AfD will compete in a runoff in Salzgitter.
More elections are coming soon in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin.
Some voters and CDU members are unhappy about high prices, economic worries, and Merz’s leadership.
They also disagree about whether the CDU should continue refusing any political cooperation with the AfD.
The CDU topped Lower Saxony’s municipal polls with 27.2% of the vote, ahead of its coalition partner, the Social Democrats, at 24.6%.
The AfD finished third with 15.9%, up 11.3 percentage points from its 2021 result.
The CDU won the mayoral vote in Wolfsburg, while Salzgitter is heading to a runoff between the CDU and AfD.
Friedrich Merz faces further tests in state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin.
Critics are questioning Merz’s leadership and the CDU’s refusal to cooperate politically with the AfD.
- Who
- Friedrich Merz, the CDU, the Social Democrats, and the AfD are the main political actors.
- What
- The CDU led Lower Saxony’s municipal polls, while the AfD made significant gains.
- When
- The results were reported on Monday, September 14, with further state elections scheduled for the following weekend.
- Where
- The elections discussed took place in Lower Saxony, including Wolfsburg and Salzgitter; upcoming elections are planned in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin.
- Why
- The results matter because they affect assessments of Merz’s leadership, the government’s reform agenda, and the CDU’s policy of avoiding cooperation with the AfD.
Merz and CDU Defenders
AfD Supporters and CDU Critics
Meaning of the municipal results
Merz and CDU Defenders
The CDU’s first-place finish and its victory in Wolfsburg provide Merz with temporary political relief.
AfD Supporters and CDU Critics
The AfD’s 15.9% share, strong improvement from 2021, and runoff in Salzgitter show that voter dissatisfaction remains substantial.
Political direction
Merz and CDU Defenders
Merz says his reform programme is intended to revive Germany’s sluggish economic growth, while CDU state leader Sebastian Lechner called for changes to ease energy and housing costs.
AfD Supporters and CDU Critics
Critics say the government has failed to address high living costs, economic insecurity, and problems at Volkswagen, making Merz an electoral liability.
Cooperation with the AfD
Merz and CDU Defenders
The CDU’s firewall strategy excludes political accommodation with the far-right AfD.
AfD Supporters and CDU Critics
Some critics, including CDU youth-wing treasurer Clara von Nathusius, say the firewall has failed and that the CDU cannot win more elections under Merz.
- CDU vote share
- 27.2% in the Lower Saxony municipal polls
- Social Democrats vote share
- 24.6%
- AfD vote share
- 15.9%, an increase of 11.3 percentage points from 2021
- Wolfsburg mayoral vote
- Won by the CDU
- Salzgitter mayoral vote
- A runoff between the CDU and AfD is required
- Merz approval poll
- An INSA poll found that 78% did not think Merz should be chancellor
- FirewalI policy
- The policy rules out political accommodation between mainstream parties and the AfD