The regional elections held in Germany over the weekend did not directly concern Jews or Israel, but their results could also have significant implications for the country’s Jewish community.
The most dramatic result was recorded in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in northeastern Germany. The AfD finished first with more than 38% of the vote, while the CDU, the conservative party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, received just 4.9% - below the 5% electoral threshold - and was left out of the state parliament. This was a historic development: It was the first time since the establishment of the Federal Republic that the CDU failed to enter a state parliament in Germany. Merz himself described the result as a “disaster."
Merz’s party also suffered a blow in Berlin. The left-wing Die Linke party finished first with approximately 25%, while the CDU fell to around 19% and the AfD received approximately 16%. The two elections paint a picture of weakening traditional parties and strengthening forces at both ends of the political spectrum.
The results do not automatically give the AfD control. Other parties continue to reject coalition cooperation with it, but as the party grows stronger, forming governments without it becomes more complicated. At the same time, the results are increasing pressure on Merz, who has made clear that he intends to remain in office and continue pursuing his reform policies.
For Germany’s Jews, these developments come at an especially sensitive time. According to the annual report by RIAS, which documents antisemitic incidents in the country, 8,725 antisemitic incidents were recorded in Germany in 2025 - nearly 24 every day. The figures illustrate that antisemitism in the country is not associated with only one political camp and appears in the contexts of the far right, the radical left, Islamism and discourse surrounding Israel.
This is also where the complexity of the election results lies. On one side is the growing strength of the AfD. The party rejects accusations of antisemitism, but over the years senior figures and individuals associated with it have drawn criticism over statements concerning Germany’s Nazi past and the country’s culture of remembrance.
On the other side, Die Linke’s achievement in Berlin has also been accompanied by debate over antisemitism. Ahead of political negotiations in the city, figures in the Green Party demanded that allegations of antisemitism within parts of the local Left party be addressed. Berlin Die Linke leader Elif Eralp, for her part, pledged to work for the safety of all communities in the city and condemned the glorification of violence.
For the Jewish community, therefore, the question is not simply the identity of the winners. Germany’s political system is undergoing change: In the 2025 federal election, the AfD had already become the second-largest party in terms of vote share, and the regional elections now illustrate the continuing pressure on the traditional parties.
The fact that the party of a sitting chancellor failed even to cross the electoral threshold in one state, while the AfD finished first there, illustrates the depth of the change. Nevertheless, these were regional elections, and they alone cannot be used to draw conclusions about the views of the German public as a whole or the results of future federal elections.
For Germany’s Jews, the practical significance of this change will be measured by policy: security for synagogues and Jewish institutions, law enforcement against hate crimes, the fight against antisemitism, attitudes toward Holocaust remembrance, and the way the political system approaches Israel and Jewish life in the country.
Postwar Germany made its historical responsibility for safeguarding Jewish life a central part of its public identity. The latest elections do not in themselves change that commitment, but they are taking place at a time when the political system is becoming increasingly polarized.
For the Jewish community, this will be one of the central tests of the period ahead: how Germany’s political transformation will translate into policy, and whether, amid the political upheaval, security and space for Jewish life in the country will be preserved.