“I am very unhappy with the outcome of the elections”, Ms. Merkel told the press at the Hyatt hotel.
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Analysts are seriously questioning how much longer the German chancellor’s refugee policy can stay intact and how long she can stay in power.
Merkel, chancellor for almost 11 years, on Monday took responsibility for the state election result but stood by her migrant policy.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reacted to the stunning election defeat over the weekend admitting that her own migrant policies were to blame.
Top candidate Leif-Erik Holm (C) of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party receives his ballot paper in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election in Klein Trebbow, Germany, September 4, 2016.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is one of Germany’s least densely populated regions and therefore it appears that the results of these elections may not have a significant impact on the national level.
On Sunday, AfD won support from across the spectrum to take 20.8 percent of votes, its second-best result yet.
The poor showing of Merkel’s Christian Democratic (CDU) party in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state vote has raised questions about her hopes of winning – or even running – for a fourth term in the 2017 general election.
The AfD has capitalized on such fears, especially since a spate of sexual assaults blamed on North African men on New Year’s Eve, and a series of bloody attacks this summer, some claimed by the Islamic State group.
In Saxony-Anhalt election, CDU won 30 seats compared to 42 in the previous, whereas AfD became the second largest party with 24 seats and this was their first-time contesting.
“This was more than a small state election, it was a vote on Merkel”, said news site Spiegel Online, pointing at the “protest storm” in “Merkel’s living room”.
“The key is that we must bring about more security, not just domestic security or protection from crime and terrorism, but also social security”, he said, after the results.
Merkel has stood firm on Germany’s position of accepting almost all asylum seekers found to be legitimate refugees.
Experts say the results don’t mean there’s a looming disaster for Merkel in next year’s election if she chooses to run – the AfD would likely have trouble forming a coalition with more traditional political parties – but they do signal some concerns for Merkel.
The AfD has managed to gain voters from various parties, according to AfD leader Frauke Petry. “A change of course is needed in Berlin”.
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“I have not the impression that she wants to give up”, said Brok, a CDU lawmaker in the European Parliament and member of the party’s executive.
