Merkel Party Suffers First Defeat by Anti-Immigration Populists
- Chancellor’s CDU beaten into third place in German state vote
- ‘Bitter’ loss in east shows persistent refugee backlash
Refugee Backlash Sees Merkel Suffer Defeat
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Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party was beaten by the populist Alternative for Germany for the first time in a state election, showing the persistence of the backlash against her open-border refugee policy.
Merkel’s Christian Democrats took 19 percent in the Baltic coast state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sunday, while Alternative for Germany, or AfD, had about 22 percent, according to ARD projections based on partial returns. The Social Democrats, who have governed the eastern state since 1998, won the election with an estimated 30.3 percent, dropping Merkel’s party to third place in her political homeland.