In Germany, likely record results for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in three upcoming eastern state elections will further erode Chancellor Friedrich Merz's grip on his own Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the cohesion of his government coalition, slowing reforms and increasing pressure for a leadership change, though a government collapse and early elections remain unlikely in the coming months. Voters in three eastern German states will elect new regional parliaments in September, with Saxony-Anhalt voting on Sept. 6 and Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern following on Sept. 20. Polls place the AfD first by a wide margin in Saxony-Anhalt, where it stands at 40-43% against 22-24% for Merz's center-right CDU, and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where it polls around 36% against 29% for the co-ruling center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) of incumbent state Premier Manuela Schwesig.