Another big blow for German chancellor Angela Merkel took place in the capital city Berlin, before the federal election next year.
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For the second time in two weeks, voters in Germany gave the CDU a defeat in state elections.
It campaigned hard against the chancellor’s decision past year to allow more than 1 million migrants, a lot of them without immigration documents, into the country.
Berlin’s traditionally strongest Social Democrats also recorded a fall in support, to a record low of 21.6 percent from 28.3 percent, and is unlikely to continue the current coalition with their junior partner, the CDU.
The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won the highest share of the vote for the far-Right since the Second World War, with 14.5 per cent.
Since no party won an outright majority, the Social Democrats are expected to form a new coalition government with the Left Party, which came third in the vote, and the Greens.
Merkel, whose government has allowed more than one million people seeking asylum into the country, faces voters in national elections next September.
Dr Merkel said she would turn back time if she could to be better prepared for the influx of around one million migrants who flooded into Germany previous year, adding that if she knew how people wanted her to change her migrant policy, she would consider it.
The top candidates of the Christian Democrats, Frank Henkel, left, and Social Democrats, Mayor Michael Mueller, wait for the beginning of a telecast after the state elections in the German capital Berlin Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. According to early reports, no other parties broke the 5 percent barrier necessary to gain seats on the parliament.
The result is seen as a reaction to Ms Merkel’s immigration policy with many CDU voters shifting towards the AfD to register their disapproval.
Sunday’s results indicate a growing polarization in Germany, with voters turning to left-wing and far-right parties.
German media reported that a poll found about 22 percent of those voting for the AfD in Berlin supported the CDU in 2011.
Considering that the regional elections were completed, Merkel’s main responsibility is to find a method to appease the coalition when it comes to her migrationist policy. “For us, the CDU, this result is absolutely unsatisfactory”.
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Markus Soeder, finance minister from the CDU’s sister party CSU, said the vote, which was the worst ever result in Berlin for the CDU party was a “massive wake-up call”, that she should impose stricter limits on migration.
