'A slap in the face for Merkel': German chancellor's own party turns on her after election defeat to anti-immigration party, with ministers admitting 'she cannot ignore the views of the people'
- Merkel's party was hammered into third place in election in her home state
- She is under renewed pressure to U-turn on her 'open door' refugee policy
- Member of her party said she can 'no longer ignore views of the people'
Angela Merkel's own party has turned on her after suffering an election defeat to an anti-immigration party - with ministers admitting 'she cannot ignore the views of the people'.
The German chancellor is under renewed pressure to U-turn on her controversial 'open door' refugee policy after her conservative CDU party was hammered into third place in a the election in her home state on Sunday.
The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party clinched almost 21 per cent in its first bid for seats in the regional parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
With her eyes on national elections next year, AfD co-chief Beatrix von Storch hailed the shock outcome as 'the beginning of the end of the Merkel era', while Bild daily labelled the result another 'slap across the face' for the chancellor.
Angela Merkel's own party has turned on her after suffering an election defeat to an anti-immigration party - with ministers admitting 'she cannot ignore the views of the people'
The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party clinched almost 21 per cent in its first bid for seats in the regional parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. AfD supporters are pictured cheering after the first exit polls were revealed
The result also led the daily newspaper Die Welt to comment: 'Germany now has what has never existed since the end of the war: an extreme-right party'. Her own key allies are now demanding changes, fearful of being decimated at the ballot box in n next year's general election.
The anti-immigrant, anti-EU Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won nearly 22 percent in the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The CDU trailed with 19 percent, its worst ever score in the starte where the chancellor has her own consituency.
Poor and poorly populated, elections in the region are usually decided on economic matters. But this one was fought solely on the chancellor's immigration programme which has seen more than a million refugees settle in the country in a year.
One in two voters said they were casting their ballot because of the migrant issue and nothing else. After her defeat the AfD lead candidate Leif-Erik Holm called it a 'proud result for a young party.
After her defeat the AfD lead candidate Leif-Erik Holm (right) called it a 'proud result for a young party'
'The icing on the cake is that we have left Merkel's CDU behind us... maybe that is the beginning of the end of Merkel's time as chancellor.'
The result now places the AfD in nine out of 16 state parliaments in Germany with eyes on an even greater prize - seats in the national legislature when the general election is fought in the autumn of 2017.
Mrs. Merkel's decision to open Germany up to unregulated immigration has left some feeling fearful. Now her own parties - the CDU and her CSU allies in Bavaria, are turning on her.
CDU general secretary Peter Tauber said Sunday's results were 'bitter', adding: 'Voters wanted to send a signal of protest, as we had noticed in discussions about refugees'.
'There was only one issue, that is, and was, refugee policy,' said the CDU's main candidate Lorenz Caffier. 'The migration policy has sparked a feeling of insecurity among people.'
CSU finance minister Markus Söder said; 'It is no longer possible for the chancellor to ignore the views of the people on this issue. This was a wake up call that Berlin needs to change tack.'
Mrs. Merkel, in China for the G20 meeting, has still refused to confirm whether she will stand for a fourth term in office in the election next year
Andreas Scheuer, CSU secretary general, described the poll result as 'devastating' adding; The CSU is pointing in the right direction. We need a cap on refugee numbers, expedited repatriation processes, an expansion of the list of nations deemed to be safe countries of origin, and better integration measures.
'The AfD had seized the opportunity to exploit Merkel's dwindling support. We can't simply give in and watch how a party built on attracting protest voters profits from the failures of the federal government in Berlin.'
The AfD was founded in 2013 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise thanks to the refugee crisis. Its leader Frauke Petry called earlier this year for border police to have the right to shoot illegal immigrants on Germany's border - remarks which did little to diminish the party's standing.
Mrs Merkel, in China for the G20 meeting, has still refused to confirm whether she will stand for a fourth term in office in the election next year.
Merkel has taken a share of the responsibility for her party's election defeat, but strongly defended her migrant policy on Monday even as she vowed to win back voters' trust.
Merkel conceded the outcome was 'almost entirely about federal political issues.'
'We must all consider how we can now win back trust, me first and foremost,' Merkel told reporters on the sidelines of the Group of 20 in China.
'I am the party leader, I am the chancellor - you can't separate those in people's eyes, so I am of course responsible too' for the result, Merkel said. 'However, I believe the decisions that have been made were right, and now we must continue working.'
She added that 'the issue of integration will play a huge role in that, and the question of the repatriation of refugees who have no residence permit here.'
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