Trouble in Europe’s centre: Germany’s final state elections of 2026 occurring over the weekend have reshaped the political landscape, with the Left securing the strongest position in the state of Berlin and the far-right anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) topping the polls in the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The results are expected to shake German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to its core, with the party’s stunning losses directly tied to the swelling gains of the AfD.