CDU suffers crushing defeat in Germany’s regional elections

Summary: Germany’s regional elections produced mixed results for major parties. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right AfD won the largest vote share but is isolated as other parties rule out coalition talks, leaving incumbent SPD premier Manuela Schwesig with a path to government. In Berlin, the Left Party led and could form a coalition with the Greens and SPD, while the CDU performed poorly in both contests, increasing pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz.