Five takeaways from Germany’s regional elections

BERLIN/FRANKFURT – Elections in two German states on Sunday resulted in severe losses for the country’s leading Christian Democrats, whose Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing pressure to keep the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party at bay. Here are five takeaways from regional elections in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Germany’s capital, Berlin. The results mark a major setback for Merz and his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, whose voters have flocked to the AfD, increasingly doubtful the 70-year-old can revive Germany’s economy and bring down the cost of living.