Alternative for Germany co-leader Tino Chrupalla has called on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to resign following catastrophic local election results, according to Deutsche Welle.
Deutsche Welle reported that Chrupalla described the vote outcomes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin on Sunday, September 20, as a crushing defeat for Merz and his party, the Christian Democratic Union.
Preliminary data shows the Christian Democratic Union securing just 4.9 percent of the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, placing the party at risk of failing to cross the threshold required to enter the state parliament. In Berlin, the party finished second behind the Left Party, placing only slightly ahead of Alternative for Germany.
Chrupalla stated that the vote represented a crushing defeat for Merz in his role as chancellor. He said he expected Merz to draw conclusions from the disaster in both Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and offer his resignation, adding that citizens expected such a step and the country deserved it.
Friedrich Merz serves as Chancellor of Germany and leader of the Christian Democratic Union, a major center-right political party. German state elections determine the composition of regional parliaments, where competing parties must secure at least five percent of the vote to gain representation.
Election results in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Deutsche Welle noted that Alternative for Germany placed first in the elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with more than 38 percent of the vote.
Chrupalla stated that incumbent State Premier Manuela Schwesig and her Social Democratic Party of Germany were dethroned from the top position, coming second with 35.4 percent of the vote.
Chrupalla said that as election winners holding a mandate to govern, Alternative for Germany would offer negotiations to rival parties. He added that it remained to be seen whether other political groups would choose to hide behind their firewall.
Chrupalla predicted that ratings for Alternative for Germany would continue to rise because voters want change, asserting that the party would eventually enter government with patience. He stated that the party was ready to bring change and turn the state back on its feet.
Manuela Schwesig has served as minister-president of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a coastal state in northeastern Germany. Mainstream German political parties have traditionally maintained a firewall policy, refusing to form governing coalitions or formal alliances with Alternative for Germany.
AfD proposals on Ukraine and military aid
UNIAN previously reported that Alternative for Germany co-leader Alice Weidel stated her party wants to end financial and military assistance to Ukraine.
Weidel added that her party would demand that Ukraine return specific sums of money previously provided.
Weidel also called for stopping benefit payments to certain Ukrainians living in Germany, specifically targeting men eligible for military service. She stated that the majority of Ukrainians should return to their country, particularly young men of draft age.
Alice Weidel serves as co-leader of Alternative for Germany alongside Chrupalla. Germany has been among the primary European nations providing financial, humanitarian, and military assistance to Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022.
Reported talks on Russian gas supplies
UNIAN also reported that Reuters, citing its own sources, disclosed that Kremlin representatives and Alternative for Germany leadership have begun preparations for a meeting to discuss resuming Russian gas supplies to Germany.
According to sources cited by Reuters, the planned meeting would involve Kirill Dmitriev, the special representative of the Russian president for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, alongside Alternative for Germany co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla.
The meeting could take place in March 2027, according to Reuters sources. However, one source noted that the meeting would occur only if a framework peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia is first agreed upon.
Germany historically relied on Russian pipeline imports to meet a significant portion of its energy needs before European sanctions and supply disruptions altered trade relations following the conflict in Ukraine.
