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Developing Update · Europe — Politics: live coverage

Merz vows to stay course after AfD state election victory

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed deep shock following his party's state election defeat to the far-right AfD, vowing to press on with reforms.

By 8 Sep 2026 · 08:00 CET Updated 8 Sep 2026 · 08:00 CET

AI disclosure: Summarised from a single named source by an AI model with editorial rules; links to the original report.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Monday that he was deeply shocked by his party's state election defeat at the hands of the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which secured a landslide victory.

Despite the significant electoral setback, Merz vowed to maintain his current political direction by staying the course with tough reforms.

At the same time, the Chancellor indicated an intention to work on explaining those necessary policy measures better to the public following the outcome of the state vote.

Source: The Local. Read the original report ↗

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