Seehofer, Premier of the southern state of Bavaria, and the Bavarian-based allies of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) in the national parliament, on Tuesday in Berlin attributed the Sunday’s “disastrous” outcome in the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern election result to Merkel’s liberal refugee policy.
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“Everyone now needs to think about how we can win back trust – most of all, of course, myself”, Merkel said, speaking on the sidelines of a G20 summit in China a day after the election drubbing in her home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Although AfD has performed strongly in several other regional elections, most notably coming second with 24% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt in March, it’s an unprecedented moment in modern German politics that the CDU is set to finish behind a party so far to its right on most issues.
Merkel, chancellor for almost 11 years, on Monday took responsibility for the state election result but stood by her migrant policy.
The significant issues of integration and the deportation of failed asylum seekers were mentioned by Ms. Merkel who has turned more hard line on the migrant crisis in recent weeks claiming that she does not want to see a repeat of past year.
Merkel has insisted that “we will manage” the crisis.
An anti-immigration, nationalist group has beaten Angela Merkel’s party in a state election in Germany, exit polls suggest.
The northeast German state is the poorest in Germany and home to Mrs. Merkel’s electoral district.
Leif-Erik Holm, the leader of the anti-Islamic, anti-immigration, and anti-European AfD, proclaimed the result as the beginning of the end for Angela Merkel.
Right-wing populist party Alternative for Deutschland claimed a significant coup by gaining second place in the region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ahead of the CDU and behind the Social Democrats.
Even if stung by defeat, Merkel has no obvious successor waiting in the wings and her CDU-led bloc still leads in all national polls. It was the first of five regional votes before a national election expected next September.
Despite the strong result, there is no prospect of the AfD going into government as the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats have said they would not form a coalition with the party.
AfD’s win was hailed by French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who tweeted: “What was impossible yesterday has become possible: the patriots of AfD sweep up the party of Ms Merkel”.
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Merkel has not confirmed whether she will seek a fourth term in the 2017 general election, but indications are that she will. Both parties lost support compared with the last state election in 2011, when they polled 35.6 and 23 percent, respectively.
