Story perspectives

CDU Suffers Historic Losses in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin

By Drooid · Sep 23, 2026, 11:57 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees the CDU suffer historic defeats in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin elections.
The CDU won 4.9% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, falling below the 5% threshold for the first time.
In Berlin, the CDU’s share dropped to 18.8%, a 9.5-point loss from 2023.
Both results stripped CDU-SPD coalitions of majorities, prompting talks of red-red-green alliances.

History

Historical Context

On 27 September 1998 the German federal election delivered the SPD’s first victory since 1972, installing Gerhard Schröder as chancellor and sending the CDU, which had governed for 16 years under Helmut Kohl, to its worst result since 1949. The leftward swing echoed the 1928 Weimar election that brought SPD leader Hermann Müller to power, illustrating a recurring pattern of centre-right defeats reshaping German coalitions.

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Story summary

Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees the CDU suffer historic defeats in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin elections.
The CDU won 4.9% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, falling below the 5% threshold for the first time.
In Berlin, the CDU’s share dropped to 18.8%, a 9.5-point loss from 2023.
Both results stripped CDU-SPD coalitions of majorities, prompting talks of red-red-green alliances.

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