Merkel’s party loses support in her home state

Germany’s Chancellor has suffered a local election defeat in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern where she comes from. Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats have lost around five per cent of support since voting last took place in 2006. Merkel had made several public appearances in the run-up to the election.

The north eastern region also dealt a blow to the Chancellor’s coalition partners, the FDP, who managed less than five per cent and are now out of the state’s parliament.

Coming top of the polls was the centre-left Social Democrats. The SPD have not yet said who they will form a coalition with to govern the state. It could be Merkel’s CDU or far-left party Die Linke, who came in third place.

Another party that may find itself cooperating closely with the SPD is the Green Party, who are enjoying popularity on a national scale. They polled more than the five percent threshold – giving them the right to enter the state’s parliament for the first time.

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