Merkel's party loses in mid-term polls
15 May 2012 7:52 AM GMT
In a major setback to Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany's ruling CDU has suffered its worst defeat in a key mid-term state election, which was widely seen as a 'test vote' for next year's Parliamentary polls when she will be seeking a third term.
57-year-old Merkel has been weakened by the outcome of the poll in North Rhine Westphalia state - where the Social Democratic Party (SPD) emerged as the main winner - at a time when pressure is mounting on her to ease her austerity course to tackle Europe's debt crisis and give more emphasis for generating growth.
Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) bit the dust in the state in an early election on Sunday when its support plunged to 26.3 per cent of the votes from 34.6 per cent polled in the last election two years ago.
The election in Germany's most populous state was widely seen as a 'test vote' for the Parliamentary election at the end of next year when Merkel will be seeking a third term.
The CDU's defeat was the eleventh in a state election since the last Parliamentary election in September 2009 and it comes a week after the party was voted out of power in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The SPD, which is in the opposition in Berlin, emerged as the main winner of the election and secured a strong endorsement from the voters to continue its coalition government with the Green party.
The SPD polled 39.1 per cent of the votes, 4.5 per cent more than the election in May 2010 and replaced the CDU as the largest political force in the state, according to provisional official results. The SPD and the Green party together have 128 seats in the new state Parliament in Dusseldorf, 18 more than the minimum needed to form a government. Kraft said the SPD achieved its goals in the election and she will continue her coalition with the Green party, which now has a solid basis.
The SPD and the Green party hailed their victory as a precursor for the Parliamentary election next year. If the SPD and the Green party can win the election in North Rhine Westphalia, they can also win the national election, Claudia Roth, co-Chairperson of the Green party, said.
57-year-old Merkel has been weakened by the outcome of the poll in North Rhine Westphalia state - where the Social Democratic Party (SPD) emerged as the main winner - at a time when pressure is mounting on her to ease her austerity course to tackle Europe's debt crisis and give more emphasis for generating growth.
Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) bit the dust in the state in an early election on Sunday when its support plunged to 26.3 per cent of the votes from 34.6 per cent polled in the last election two years ago.
The election in Germany's most populous state was widely seen as a 'test vote' for the Parliamentary election at the end of next year when Merkel will be seeking a third term.
The CDU's defeat was the eleventh in a state election since the last Parliamentary election in September 2009 and it comes a week after the party was voted out of power in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The SPD, which is in the opposition in Berlin, emerged as the main winner of the election and secured a strong endorsement from the voters to continue its coalition government with the Green party.
The SPD polled 39.1 per cent of the votes, 4.5 per cent more than the election in May 2010 and replaced the CDU as the largest political force in the state, according to provisional official results. The SPD and the Green party together have 128 seats in the new state Parliament in Dusseldorf, 18 more than the minimum needed to form a government. Kraft said the SPD achieved its goals in the election and she will continue her coalition with the Green party, which now has a solid basis.
The SPD and the Green party hailed their victory as a precursor for the Parliamentary election next year. If the SPD and the Green party can win the election in North Rhine Westphalia, they can also win the national election, Claudia Roth, co-Chairperson of the Green party, said.
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