Preliminary counts early on the 21st in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern showed the CDU
won 4.9% of the vote, below the 5% threshold and, for the first time since World
War II, failed to enter a state parliament. The party’s vote share fell 8.4
percentage points from 2021. Responding to exit polls on the evening of the
20th, CDU leader Merz called the result "a disaster" but said the government
would continue to press ahead with reforms and work to rebuild public trust.
