# Merz under pressure: CDU lawmaker on election setbacks

https://mins.news/en/video/69595

- DW News, 2026-09-22 20:30 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCZGLcdKTLI

> German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing mounting pressure after a series of election setbacks for his center-right CDU, including a defeat to the far-right AfD in Saxony-Anhalt and the party’s failure to pass the five-percent threshold for parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. CDU foreign policy spokesman Jürgen Hardt defends Merz and says key reforms will be crucial to strengthening his position.

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