Germany's Merz vows to press ahead with reforms after historic state election defeat

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has faced a major electoral setback in two state elections, with his center-right party losing ground. The far-right Alternative for Germany party made significant gains.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7489x4992+0+0/resize/7489x4992!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F37%2F9e%2F55e4991d44b1a77d05ebbbdf2f6b%2Fap26263591596464.jpg' alt='German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks to media at the Christian Democratic Union party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.'/><p>German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has faced a major electoral setback in two state elections, with his center-right party losing ground. The far-right Alternative for Germany party made significant gains.</p><p>(Image credit: Markus Schreiber)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-144211' />