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.

The drop of 21.4 points was the steepest decline ever between elections for the CDU and about five points worse than forecast.

“It’s an hour of helplessness for us,” said the defeated CDU candidate for mayor in Hamburg, Christoph Ahlhaus.

The CDU was crushed because Ahlhaus was deeply unpopular and ran a poor campaign while the Social Democratic (SPD) candidate, highly regarded ex-Labour Minister Olaf Scholz, won back traditional SPD voters and moderates by making economic issues the focus of his campaign.

“The CDU has suffered a heavy defeat,” said CDU general secretary Hermann Groehe, Merkel’s deputy party leader.

The opposition SPD won 49.6% of the vote, up from 34.1% in 2008, ARD public television said. The SPD was projected to win 63 seats in the Hamburg state assembly, two more than needed for an absolute majority.

“It’s an historic result not only for us but also for the others,” said SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel, referring to the CDU’s record-breaking plunge.

Hamburg is the first of seven state elections this year. The loss of three seats in the Bundesrat, which represents Germany’s states, will make it harder for Merkel’s CDU-Free Democrats coalition to pass federal legislation.

The Bundesrat has to approve about half of the legislation that passes through the Bundestag (lower house).

The drubbing will also send a signal to voters before the other state votes, especially in the important southwestern region of Baden-Wuerttemberg where her CDU is also in danger of losing power in March.