German foreign minister confident in government stability after recent state election results

(14 Sep 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Budapest, Hungary - 14 September 2026 1. Pan of Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán and her German counterpart Johann Wadephul arriving at press conference 2. SOUNDBITE (German) Johann Wadephul, German Foreign Minister: “The federal government is really very stable. But nobody overlooks the election results which we saw in Saxony-Anhalt. The issues that concern people should not be underestimated; they must be taken seriously. But, by the way, you also need to know that more people were eligible to vote yesterday in Lower Saxony than in the three federal states of Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania combined. And the election result yesterday, even though the results can always be better, showed that there was also a great deal of support for the governing parties. I can feel that in Berlin also. This federal government is prepared to assume the responsibility that it has. It is determined to do so. And the federal chancellor can rely on the support of the government factions and his Cabinet at any time.” 3. Wide of Orbán and Wadephul shaking hands STORYLINE: German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, on Monday stressed the country's government was "very stable" following the recent win for the far-right Alternative for Germany party in a regional election. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under pressure after Alternative for Germany, or AfD, surged to its biggest win yet in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt earlier this month, while the chancellor's center-right Christian Democratic Union lost about half its support in the election. "Nobody overlooks the election results which we saw in Saxony-Anhalt. The issues that concern people should not be underestimated; they must be taken seriously,” Wadephul said during a visit to Hungary on Monday. The result underlined AfD’s skill in harnessing discontent with issues well beyond its core theme of curbing immigration as the national government struggles to turn around a stubbornly sluggish economy. Wadephul said local elections held over the weekend showed there was still a "great deal of support" for the governing parties. According to preliminary results Merz’s CDU won the largest share of the vote in local elections in the northwestern state of Lower Saxony on Sunday. Two more German states are scheduled to hold elections on September 20: Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, an eastern state where AfD is strong but Merz’s CDU has long been weak. AP video shot by: Bela Szandelszky =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...