Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) were beaten into third place by the anti-immigrant, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by taking 20.8 percent of the vote.
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Merkel has stuck to her insistence that we will manage the refugee crisis, and has also said that sometimes you have to endure such controversies..
The far right-wing party received 21% of the votes in the first round of the local elections, coming in second to the Social Democratic Party that received 30.6%. The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) – which now heads a grand coalition with the CDU as its junior partner – is projected to remain the strongest party at 30.4 per cent.
She also said she only had time for three questions in the five minutes she appeared.
“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”.
Chancellor Angela Merkel says that winning back voters’ trust will be her priority after a state election in which a nationalist, anti-immigration party beat Merkel’s party into third place.
“One can call this the beginning of the end of the CDU”, AfD chairwoman Frauke Petry told reporters on Merkel’s home turf on Sunday.
With the party’s latest electoral success, the AfD will hold seats in nine out of Germany’s 16 regional parliaments, and is projected for impressive gains in Berlin upon September 18 elections.
“People do not want these “Berliner policies”. The AfD campaigned against her immigration policy, as well as opposing the transition to renewable energy and arguing against sanctions on Russian Federation.
Chancellor Merkel is perceived to be paying a dear price for her welcoming policy towards refugees, with Germany opening its doors to 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reacted to the stunning election defeat over the weekend admitting that her own migrant policies were to blame.
Merkel has not confirmed whether she will seek a fourth term in the 2017 general election, but indications are that she will.
His Bavarian state-based CSU is now annoyed with its CDU sister party as they believe Mrs Merkel needs to stop flying around the world and pay more attention to domestic politics.
There’s no realistic prospect at present of AfD going into government.
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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”.
