German urgency: AFD wants to demand early elections to the Bundestag

""Alternative for Germany" (AFD) intends to raise the issue of holding early parliamentary elections in the Bundestag,"Rainer Rotfuss, a deputy from the AFD, told Izvestia. The reason was the results of the voting in the landtags of Mecklenburg—Vorpommern, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt, where the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, showed the worst results in history. Currently, 28% of voters are ready to vote for the AFD, while the CDU's support level hovers around 19%. About whether a change of government is possible in Germany, see the "Izvestia" article.

The AfD celebrates the victory in the land elections

Unsuccessful results of voting in regional parliaments (landtags) for the ruling CDU Mecklenburg—Vorpommern, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin may provoke a change of power in Germany. The opposition ""Alternative for Germany" (AfD)" told Izvestia that they intend to demand early parliamentary elections.

"During the upcoming plenary week of the Bundestag, we will once again declare in the strongest terms the need for early elections," said Rainer Rotfuss, a member of the Bundestag from the AFD. "Under the current government of the Reds and blacks (CDU/CSU and SPD bloc. — Ed.) Germany found itself in a dangerous impasse. This applies not only to fiscal policy, characterized by an astronomical volume of new borrowings in the amount of €203 billion, but also to the course in the energy sector, the economy, and, in particular, a foreign policy hostile to Russia.

Photo: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

Rainer Rothfuss stressed that holding early voting meets the vital interests of citizens: the new composition of parliament should reflect the fundamental changes in public sentiment that opinion polls show. According to them, about 28% of voters are ready to vote for the "Alternative for Germany". Thus, the AfD is the most popular political force in the country. It is closely followed by the CDU/CSU bloc with support of about 19%. To this should be added the record low personal rating of CDU leader Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose activities, according to sociologists from INSA, are approved by only about 14% of citizens.

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"I believe that the current chancellor will not be able to stay in power for long, and I hope that early elections will be held in Germany, as the country's citizens are suffering from the current economic situation and the policies of the federal government," Markus Fronmaier, deputy chairman of the AFD faction and Bundestag deputy, told Izvestia.

In early September, "Alternative for Germany" won a decisive victory in the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, gaining about 44%. This is the best result ever shown by the party in the elections to the Landtag. The CDU received half as many votes.

Photo: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

According to the results of the elections in Mecklenburg—Vorpommern, held on September 20, the CDU failed to overcome the five percent barrier, although in 2021 it earned 13.3% of the vote. Thus, the Christian Democrats did not get into the land parliament for the first time in history. "Alternative for Germany", on the contrary, showed rapid growth, improving its previous result by more than 20 percentage points. In the Berlin elections, the CDU lost almost 10 percentage points, while the AfD gained about 7 percentage points.

The Christian Democrats have shown extremely weak results, and they can be called the main losers, Maria Khorolskaya, a researcher at the IMEMO RAS, told "Izvestia". The key factor in the vote was the disappointment of citizens caused by the slowdown in economic growth, the decline of Germany's authority in the international arena and internal political instability. Voters have a clear feeling that the ruling coalition, which includes the CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), is not coping with its responsibilities and is only making empty promises, the analyst emphasizes.

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Is Merz's resignation possible

Meanwhile, the ruling elites refuse to cooperate with the AFD and form coalitions with it, as they consider it ultra-right and extremist. However, the "Alternative for Germany" itself is more pragmatic. Despite the demands for Merz's resignation, the AFD is ready to cooperate with the Christian Democrats even now.

The main candidate of the "Alternative for Germany" party Ulrich Sigmund and his wife Julia Sigmund enter the stage of the AfD election headquarters after the polls close in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Photo: Global Look Press

"If Merz were ready to terminate the coalition with the SPD and pursue a policy that meets the interests of Germany again, then, based on considerations of state responsibility, we would be ready to continue to put up with Merz's tenure as chancellor within the framework of a minority government," said Rainer Rothfuss.

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How will the result of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt region affect the Merz government

In return, he said, the AFD would demand an immediate change of course in favor of a more reasonable energy, budget and foreign policy, which would significantly reduce the risks of escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier, AFD co-chairman Tino Cavalla called on Merz to travel to Moscow to find ways to resolve the conflict peacefully. However, for now, official Berlin intends to further increase military assistance to Kiev.

According to Bloomberg, Merz's party considers his imminent resignation likely. Many CDU representatives are confident that retaining their leadership positions harms the party and threatens to further erode the trust of voters. At the same time, Merz himself expects to retain the position of chancellor and intends to gain the support of key CDU functionaries.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz

Photo: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

The results of the regional elections had a very negative impact on Merz's positions, Maria Khorolskaya notes. According to her, discontent is growing in the land offices of his political force (especially in the east of Germany): party members see him as a toxic figure who makes it difficult to attract the electorate. Nevertheless, Merz's resignation is unlikely to be expected now — most likely, much will depend on the outcome of the landtag elections in Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine—Westphalia, which will be held in April 2027.

The Christian Democrats will try to concentrate their forces on the western lands in order to demonstrate to the voters at least some success after the failure in the east. The level of support for AfD in West Germany consistently lags behind the indicators in the east of the country by 10-20%. If the crisis in the country worsens dramatically by 2027 and the AFD is not banned, then it is likely that the party will win its first victory in the western federal state in Saarland, Rainer Rotfuss believes. Now "Alternative for Germany" is lagging behind the leaders there by a minimal margin: about 23% of voters are ready to vote for the AFD, while 27% are for the Social Democrats, and 25% for the CDU/CSU bloc.