Merkel's Latest Election Drubbing Exposes Government's Fragility
- Support for CDU, SPD drop in Frankfurt’s home state of Hesse
- Greens, far-right AfD lure voters from Merkel’s coalition
This article is for subscribers only.
Instability plaguing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s fourth term was laid bare in the latest state election drubbing, with her coalition partner’s flagging support posing a growing threat to her government.
The Social Democrats, which reluctantly allied with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union in March, flirted with leaving the coalition after garnering the worst result in Frankfurt’s home state of Hesse since World War II. That extends the decline of Germany’s oldest political party, which has fallen behind the Greens and the far-right Alternative for Germany in some national polls.