Merz vows to keep coalition together for Germany's 'democratic future'

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he will keep his ruling coalition together for the sake of his country's "democratic future", following resounding defeats for his party in two state elections.

"We are determined to live up to the historic challenges our country is facing," Merz said, referring to the coalition between his Christian Democratic Unionist (CDU) party and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Merz's position has come under mounting pressure after Sunday's election results. In the north-eastern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won the most votes, with the CDU failing even to reach the threshold to stay in the state parliament.

Meanwhile in Berlin, the CDU came second to the hard-left Die Linke party, with the AfD also making significant gains.

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Speaking at the news conference on Monday, Merz described the result in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as "a heavy blow" for the centre-right CDU.

"This election is a profound turning point. It is a dramatic, unprecedented result for the CDU in Germany," he acknowledged.

Merz said there had been no discussion about his own position since the results and pushed back against the idea that his low popularity ratings alone were behind the election defeats.