Merz under pressure as CDU stumbles in two-state vote
Voters in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern head to the polls in regional elections that could threaten Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s grip on the CDU as the party slumps and the far-right AfD surges: CDU support in MV is slipping below 7% with AfD near the SPD, while Berlin polls hint at Die Linke leading and AfD rising to about 18%. Merz has vowed not to step down, but leadership doubts linger, prompting an emergency CDU meeting; a constructive vote of no confidence remains a constitutional option, though any replacement would need broad Bundestag backing.
