00:01German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU party suffered heavy losses in two state elections
00:07on Sunday, with the left emerging as the largest party in Berlin and the AFD taking the lead
00:13in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Projections indicated that the CDU came in with just 4.9%
00:20in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the lowest result since World War II for the party in any
00:25state. Staying below the 5% threshold would mean the CDU fails for the first time to win seats in
00:33a state legislature anywhere in Germany. While the AFD came first there with 38.2% of the vote,
00:40it was closely followed by the center-left SPD, which looks set to continue governing the state
00:45by forming a coalition with left-wing allies. In Berlin, the left has emerged as the strongest
00:51party for the first time, rejected to win around 25% of votes after it made social issues and
00:58affordable housing key themes of its election campaign. The result means the capital's previous
01:04CDU-SBD coalition no longer has a majority.
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