BERLIN, September 7. /TASS/. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has acknowledged that the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) suffered a "dramatic defeat’ in the regional election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, Bild reported.

According to the German newspaper, Merz noted at a CDU federal board meeting that his center-right party’s "dramatic defeat" in the election marked a "profound turning point for the party."

"We’ll cope with this only if we discuss problems openly in the leading circle," the German leader said as he urged the party to preserve unity. According to him, everybody should realize that they do harm to the CDU "with their public statements aimed against the party." The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party pursues the goal of "completely destroying the CDU," and so "no cooperation at all can be maintained" with it, he argued.