Merz's conservatives worried about entering parliament in state vote

The conservatives of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are worried that they may not be able to garner enough votes in an upcoming regional election to take seats in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament.

"There is a fear of failing to clear the 5% threshold," Marc Reinhardt, deputy leader of the Christian Democrats' (CDU) parliamentary group in the north-eastern state, told the Tagesspiegel newspaper in comments published on Saturday.

He was referring to the rule that parties need to win at least 5% of the vote to be able to claim seats in a state or the national parliament.

The CDU is currently projected to win 7% of votes in the September 20 election, according to the latest polling. This would be the worst-ever showing in a state or national election since World War II for the party considered one of Germany's two long-time Volksparteien, or "people's parties."

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is polling in first place at around 35 to 37%, and hoping to capitalize on its resounding victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt last weekend.

The Social Democrats (SPD) of incumbent state premier Manuela Schwesig are projected to come in second at around 34%, though polls suggest they have managed to narrow the gap with the AfD in recent weeks.

CDU top candidate Daniel Peters has sought to distance himself from his party colleague Merz, whose approval ratings have plummeted in recent months.

The election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern comes on the same day as the state vote in Berlin, where the CDU is in a fight to retain the mayor's office amid a three-way battle with the AfD and The Left.