Friedrich Merz has suffered a "disastrous" double defeat in key elections as support for the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged in a historic vote.
Two state elections took place today in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin as exit polls painted a bleak picture for the Christian Democrat Union (CDU).
But the polls were much rosier for the AfD, led by Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, after being forecast to win 37 per cent of the vote in the rural state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The projection was closely followed by the centre left Social Democrats (SPD) with 35.5 per cent.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor's party is set to receive a set of damaging results, and is predicted to take home a measly 5.5 per cent of the vote.
If the exit poll if correct, the result would be the party's worst result in the region since the Second World War.
The threshold to enter state parliament, the Bundestag, is five per cent.
Branding the outcome a "disaster", Mr Merz said: "The reforms have to come. I am taking on this responsibility, because I want to move our country forward."
Meanwhile, in Berlin, support for the AfD is projected to be on the uptick as the CDU is set to come in second place with 20 per cent.
In the capital, the hard-left party Linke is said to win 24.5 per cent, while the AfD is set to take home 16 per cent.
Despite the AfD's surge in support, it will prove challenging for the hard-right party to strike a deal with other parties, given its competitors turning up their noses at the prospect of working with them.
On September 7, the AfD edged closer to power in the eatern state of Saxony-Anhalt after a state win there with 43.8 per cent of the vote.
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At the time, Beatrix von Storch, the party's deputy leader, called on other parties to consider working alongside them.
She said: "You cannot say, I do not accept the vote of the people."
Ms von Storch said the results "were on the table and now democrats have to talk to [one] another", adding: "This is what democracy demands."
Without teamwork, she said that "we might end up in severe chaos", triggering another election.
Meanwhile, the CDU had received a sledgehammer to its support in the region, where it saw its vote almost halve.
Mr Merz said the state election's outcome was "seismic... not just in the country but also in my own political party and I take that very seriously".
The results for today's state elections are expected to trickle in overnight.
A full outcome is expected on Monday morning.
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