ELECTIONS | 04.09.2011

Merkel's conservatives slip in local elections while opposition gains steam

 

The SPD has a commanding lead while the CDU has slipped

Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats have slipped in the polls in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, raising the possibility that the Social Democrats could form a new coalition with the Greens or the Left Party.

 

The center-left Social Democrats (SPD) won a decisive victory in local elections in the northeastern Baltic state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with voter turnout at low levels.

German broadcaster ARD put the SPD at 36 percent, well above the 30.2 percent they received in the last elections in 2006. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), meanwhile, have dropped from 28.8 percent in 2006 to 23.3 percent in their worst showing ever in the state. Merkel's home constituency is in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

"We are disappointed that we lost by so much," senior CDU lawmaker Peter Altmaier said.

The socialist Left Party gained ground, rising from 16.8 percent to 18.2 percent support while the Greens are poised to enter the state parliament for the first time with 8.2 percent of the vote.  

Low voter turnout

State officials put voter turnout at 52 percent of the state's 1.4 million eligible voters, well below 59 percent in 2006. 

Merkel's party has now suffered a whole series of lossesCurrently governed by a grand coalition between the SPD and CDU, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is the poorest of Germany's 16 states with unemployment at 11.5 percent and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) below the European Union average.

Chancellor Merkel's CDU has suffered a series of losses in five regional elections this year. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's current Social Democratic Minister President Erwin Sellering has expressed openness to other coalition partners.

But around 47 percent of voters in Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania continue to support the grand coalition while 34 percent are calling for the SPD and the Left Party to join forces. A coalition between the SPD and the Greens enjoys the support of 35 percent of the electorate.

Far right clears hurdle

The far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) was polling at 5.9 percent, just barely above the 5 percent hurdle required for parliamentary representation. The economically liberal Free Democrats (FDP) sank to 2.8 percent, which means they are set to lose their seats in the state legislature.

FDP General Secretary Christian Lindner said it was a "bitter defeat" in which the state parliament lost its liberal voice while the "enemies of democracy," the NPD, managed to hold on to their representation in the legislature.

"There's no reason to throw in the towel now even though this defeat has a bitter taste," Lindner said. "No one should write off the FDP. We're going to fight."  

Sixteen political parties and 341 candidates were competing for the 71 seats in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's parliament. The results are preliminary, since polls were open in only 35 of the state's 36 counties. On the island of Rügen, the vote has been delayed until September 18 due to the death of the CDU candidate Udo Timm.

Author: Spencer Kimball (dpa, dapd, Reuters)
Editor: Andreas Illmer

 

 

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