Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is three points ahead in a new poll for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- The poll comes after the AfD thrashed the center-right CDU in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election
- Former Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that truth and lies are increasingly being blurred, including by people in power
- Merkel acknowledged that some decisions during her time as chancellor helped fuel support for the AfD
Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on Friday, September 11, 2026:
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Skip next section Left Party leads Berlin poll ahead of state election09/11/2026September 11, 2026
Left Party leads Berlin poll ahead of state election
The socialist Left Party has taken a narrow lead in Berlin just over a week before voters elect a new state parliament, according to an Infratest dimap poll for public broadcaster ARD.
The party, led by top candidate Elif Eralp, was on 21%, up 2 percentage points from the previous survey.
The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), whose top candidate is Stefan Evers, slipped 1 point to 20%.
The far-right Alternative for Germany remained unchanged on 18%, putting it in third place.
The environmentalist Greens fell 2 points to 16%, while the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) gained 1 point to 12%.
The left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) remained on 4%, below the 5% threshold needed to enter the Berlin House of Representatives. It is contesting a Berlin state election for the first time.
Infratest dimap surveyed 1,527 eligible voters in Berlin between Monday and Wednesday.
On Wednesday, prosecutors in Hanover announced a criminal investigation into SPD lead candidate Steffen Krach, who has categorically rejected allegations that he improperly enriched himself.
Berliners will vote for a new House of Representatives on September 20.
The capital, which is considered as one of Germany’s 16 federal states, is currently governed by a coalition of the CDU and SPD.
Governing Mayor Kai Wegner withdrew as the CDU’s lead candidate around two months ago following controversy over false statements about his handling of a major power outage.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MR00Skip next section Dresden vaccine plant to close after 115 years09/11/2026September 11, 2026
Dresden vaccine plant to close after 115 years
British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plans to close its vaccine production site in Dresden by summer 2028, putting nearly 650 jobs at risk.
The company said falling global demand and overcapacity were behind the decision, with flu vaccine production set to be concentrated at its Ste-Foy site in Canada.
Vaccine production in the Saxony capital dates back to 1911, when entrepreneur Karl August Lingner, who made his fortune with the Odol mouthwash brand, founded the Saxon Serum Institute and Institute for Bacteriotherapy.
The facility was nationalized during the communist East German era and taken over in 1992 by SmithKline Beecham, which later became part of GSK.
The Dresden plant currently produces vaccines against influenza and hepatitis. According to earlier company figures, it can produce around two million vaccine doses a week.
Germany’s Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union said it would oppose the planned closure.
It warned that Saxony could lose highly skilled industrial jobs and Germany could lose important pharmaceutical manufacturing expertise.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MQeSSkip next section Rhine river water levels remain critically low 09/11/2026September 11, 2026
Rhine river water levels remain critically low
Emilio Reynoso with RTRE
The Rhine River, one of the most important waterways in Europe, is once again reporting low water levels.
A lack of rainfall in recent days have caused a further decline in river levels, which had recovered slightly after a long dry spell in August.
The Inland Navigation Agency (WSV) reported on Friday that ships will have to keep operating with reduced loads. German shipping and parcel delivery companies have been severely affected by the low water levels of the Rhine.
In some cases, cargo has been divided among multiple vessels, increasing operating costs. To overcome this challenge, companies have transported part of their shipments by road and rail.
The WSV said the gauge at the chokepoint of Kaub near Koblenz was around 21 centimeters (8.2 inches) on Friday, down from 34 centimeters on Monday and 50 centimeters last week. In August, the level at Kaub was a record low 10 centimeters.
The actual depth of the river is about 1 meter deeper than the navigable water gauge.
The WSV announced that no significant improvements in river levels are expected in the coming week.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MQu8Skip next section German company bankruptcies hit 13-year high09/11/2026September 11, 2026
German company bankruptcies hit 13-year high
The number of corporate insolvencies in Germany rose to its highest first-half level in 13 years, despite signs that Europe’s biggest economy is beginning to recover.
German courts recorded 12,812 applications for corporate insolvency from January to June, up 6.7% from a year earlier, the Federal Statistical Office said on Friday.
The last time the first-half total was higher was in 2013, when 13,253 cases were recorded.
Transport and warehousing companies were most affected, followed by hospitality and construction firms.
“The long-sluggish domestic economy, high and still-rising energy and labor costs and excessive bureaucracy are leaving many companies with little room to breathe,” said Marc Evers, an expert on small and medium-sized businesses at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He said more businesses closed in June alone than in any month for 14 years.
Creditors’ claims linked to corporate insolvencies totaled around €18.5 billion ($21.7 billion) in the first half of the year, down from €28.2 billion a year earlier.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MQCiSkip next section Merkel: ‘There is no free lunch’ for democracy09/11/2026September 11, 2026
Merkel: ‘There is no free lunch’ for democracy
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged people to actively defend democracy and freedom, warning that democratic principles cannot be taken for granted.
“There’s no free lunch — nothing comes for free,” Merkel told around 1,200 people at a reading from her memoir “Freedom” in Peenemünde on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom.
“You are getting a small assignment too,” the former leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) told the audience.
Merkel read from a passage in her book in which she argues that truth and lies are increasingly being deliberately blurred, including by people in positions of power in democratic countries.
“Freedom needs democratic conditions. Without democracy, there is no freedom,” Merkel said.
She urged people to defend democratic institutions against those who threaten them.
“If we want to live in freedom, we have to defend our democracy against those who threaten it,” Merkel said.
She added that this could succeed “if we work together, if we get involved together, each of us individually and all of us for one another.”
Merkel acknowledged that some of the decisions made during her time in office had contributed to support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), including her response to the 2015 refugee crisis and her policies during the eurozone debt crisis.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MPdHSkip next section Far-right AfD shows narrow lead ahead of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania votePublished 09/11/2026Published September 11, 2026last updated 09/11/2026last updated September 11, 2026
Far-right AfD shows narrow lead ahead of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania vote
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is leading in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania ahead of next week’s state election, according to a new poll for broadcaster ZDF released Friday.
The survey comes days after the AfD won the state election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered a major defeat.
The “Forschungsgruppe Wahlen” poll puts the AfD at 37%, three points ahead of state Premier Manuela Schwesig’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) at 34%.
The CDU polled at just 7% — which if reflected on election day would be its worst result in a state election since the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The socialist Left Party is at 10%, while the environmentalist Greens are at 5% and the left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) at 4%.
Parties generally need at least 5% to enter the state parliament.
State Premier Schwesig nevertheless remains well ahead of AfD lead candidate Leif-Erik Holm personally in polling. Some 61% said they would prefer her as state premier, compared with 28% for Holm.
However, based on the polling data, it would not be enough to continue the current SPD-Left Party coalition. Schwesig might have to rely on a third coalition partner to remain as premier.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MPdkSkip next section Welcome to our coverage09/11/2026September 11, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Richard Connor | Wesley Rahn Editor
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn.
You join us as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is leading in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania ahead of the state election, according to a new poll.
The poll puts the AfD on 37%, three points ahead of the governing center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Meanwhile, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged people to actively defend democracy and freedom.
Merkel said democracy had to be defended against those who threaten it, adding that this would only work if people became involved themselves.
Stay with us here for these stories and more of what Germany is talking about today.
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