The Federation Council of Russia reported that the German government had lost the trust of residents

The results of the parliamentary elections in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt indicate a decrease in the confidence of German residents in the traditional parties and the government of the current Chancellor Friedrich Merz. This was announced on September 7 by Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council. "I consider the most significant result not so much the victory of the AfD (Alternatives for Germany. — Ed.), <...> what a crushing defeat of the traditional parties," he said in an interview with Interfax. According to the senator, voters rejected the previous support of political forces, which, in his opinion, emphasized a tough foreign policy, not paying enough attention to the internal problems of the country. He noted that so far this trend has manifested itself only at the level of one region, however, it may be confirmed at the next land elections in Mecklenburg. Kosachev also said that the election result was a negative assessment of the work of Friedrich Merz's government. In his opinion, the cabinet received a "setback", although the chancellor himself, according to the senator, would not agree with this. Ralf Niemeyer, a political scientist from Germany, told Izvestia on the same day that Merz was the most unpopular chancellor since World War II, as, unlike his predecessors, he was losing credibility even within his own party. Accordingly, he commented on the victory of the AFD, which it won in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, gaining 43.8% of the vote. The CDU won only 17.2% in the race.