PoliticsGermany elections: Merz vows to push on despite setbacks

German voters handed Chancellor Friedrich Merz another setback in two important regional elections. Exit polls put Die Linke ahead of Merz’s CDU in Berlin, while the far-right AfD was projected to narrowly lead in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Merz called the CDU’s showing a “disaster” but pledged to continue with his reform agenda.