German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday he was “deeply shocked” after his center-right party suffered a heavy loss in a state poll to the far-right AfD, but vowed to push on with reforms.
“This is the heaviest electoral defeat the (CDU party) has suffered in years, in decades,” a crestfallen Merz told a press conference, a day after the defeat in the ex-communist eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
“Naturally, this will have to have consequences.”
The CDU, which leads the ruling coalition at the national level, scored just 17 percent in the vote, compared to almost 44 percent for the anti-immigration, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Sven Schulze, the state’s defeated CDU premier, acknowledged that the AfD, which is just short of the number of lawmakers needed to rule alone, had won the right to try to form a governing majority.
“We are the opposition -– the mandate to govern now lies with the AfD,” he said alongside Merz.
Merz also conceded his own low poll ratings had played a role in his party’s loss, as well as criticism his government has been slow to implement reforms.
“I know that I personally was a constant topic in this election campaign. We know that the reforms were a constant topic in this election campaign,” he said.
“We must try -- I myself included -- to reach people more effectively, including in the full range of their emotions,” he added.
The 70-year-old nevertheless vowed to push on with a crucial policy overhaul in areas ranging from the economy to pensions and healthcare.
“My determination to continue on the path of reform is unbroken,” he said.
“But I know that we must do more than just justify these reforms, mathematically, economically. We have to explain them better,” he said.
“This is about nothing more and nothing less than the future of our country, and the opportunities of our children and grandchildren.”
