Key facts
- Germany's far-right AfD party won the regional election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 37% of the vote, exit polls showed.
- The center-left Social Democrats (SPD) placed second with 35.5% of the vote.
- The AfD's victory follows a win in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks prior.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU party achieved its worst regional or national election result since World War II, garnering 5.5% of the vote.
- The SPD is expected to form a coalition government, preventing the AfD from governing the state.
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party secured its second consecutive regional election victory on Sunday, winning the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania according to exit polls. The party garnered 37% of the vote, narrowly ahead of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) who received 35.5%. Despite the win, the AfD is likely to be prevented from governing the state due to the SPD's strong showing, which should enable them to form a coalition. This result follows the AfD's historic victory in the state of Saxony-Anhalt two weeks prior. The election was also a critical test for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, leader of the center-right CDU party, which achieved its worst regional or national election outcome since World War II with only 5.5% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In Berlin, exit polls indicated the Left party (Die Linke) was on course to finish first with 24.5%, ahead of the CDU's 20%.