Merkel’s party in crushing poll defeat

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats suffered a crushing defeat in a regional election in the northern German city-state of Hamburg yesterday that will make it harder for her coalition to pass laws.

The rout will cost the CDU three seats in the upper house, or Bundesrat. The unexpectedly large scope of the loss may cause Merkel and her conservatives further trouble at the national level with six further regional elections coming this year.

The CDU fell to 21.2% from 42.6% in the last election in 2008, according to an ARD TV exit poll.