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Episode details

World Service,20 Sep 2026,49 mins

German chancellor describes state election results as a 'disaster'

Newshour

Available for 22 days

In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party was initially projected to only just scrape through, with its worst ever election result. A few hours later, however, it had dipped below the 5% threshold needed to stay in parliament. Meanwhile, the far-right AfD was on track to win the most votes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, but it is unlikely to govern as other parties refuse to work with it. Also on the programme: Ukraine fires a new weapon for the first time, in a major assault on Moscow; and President Trump's plans for a triumphal arch filled with munitions. (Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a statement at the CDU headquarters in Berlin. Credit: Reuters/Christian Mang)

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