German Chancellor Merz calls state election a 'disaster' for his party but vows to stay on

Embattled German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay on despite exit polls in two local elections suggesting damaging defeats for his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party was projected to only just scrape into parliament, while the AfD was on track to win the most votes. Merz called the result "a disaster" for his party. In Berlin, the ruling CDU was also expected to be beaten by Die Linke (The Left). Merz is under mounting pressure, with poor approval ratings and rumours he could even be replaced mid-term in a so-called...