Merkel Faces Triple Challenge as Refugees Impact State Votes
- Baden-Wuerttemberg is biggest prize in elections on Sunday
- Election outcome could cause concern `well beyond Germany'
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Voters in three German states go to the polls Sunday in the first major electoral test of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-border refugee policy.
More than a fifth of the German population lives in the regions at stake, making the contest the biggest of Merkel’s third term and the most significant vote before the next federal ballot in 18 months. Voting stations opened at 8 a.m. and will close at 6 p.m., when exit polls will be released. Turnout as of midday was higher than the last elections five years ago, according to the electoral authorities.