AfD wins in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as Left Party tops Berlin vote

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as the strongest party in Sunday's state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while the Left Party finished first in Berlin's state election, according to preliminary results.

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD won 38.2% of the vote, ahead of the governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 35.5%, according to the state election commission.

The Left Party received 6.5% and the Greens 5.7%, giving them five seats each in the 71-seat parliament. The AfD is set to hold 32 seats and the SPD 29.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) fell below the 5% threshold with 4.9%, preventing it from entering the state parliament for the first time since the founding of the Federal Republic. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) also narrowly missed the threshold with 4.8%.

The result leaves the existing SPD-Left coalition without a majority, while an SPD-Left-Greens alliance would have enough seats to govern. All three parties have ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD.

In Berlin, the Left Party won the state election with about 25.3% of the vote, ahead of the CDU at 19%, according to preliminary results. The AfD received about 16% and the SPD 12.1%.

The elections, held on Sept. 20, were the first state polls in both regions in which 16- and 17-year-olds were eligible to vote.

The results are expected to intensify pressure on Merz, whose CDU suffered significant losses in both states.