Merkel in election victory but nationalists win seats
Nationalist party win seats for first time
CHANCELLOR ANGELA Merkel’s conservative bloc has won a lacklustre victory in Germany’s national election while the antimigrant Alternative for Germany party managed a triumphant entry into parliament, projections have shown.
Ms Merkel’s main centre-left rivals the Social Democrats were set for their worst result since the Second World War. The party, led by Ms Merkel’s challenger Martin Schulz, vowed immediately to leave her coalition government and go into opposition.
The outcome puts Ms Merkel on course for a fourth term as chancellor – but means she has a tricky task in forming a new coalition government.
Projections for ARD and ZDF public television, based on exit polls and early counting, showed Ms Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and their Bavaria-only allies the Christian Social Union winning about 33 per cent of the vote – down from 41.5 per cent four years ago.
Mr Schulz’s Social Democrats were seen trailing far behind, with 20 per cent to 21 per cent.
It would be the outright worst post-war result for the party, which has served since 2013 as the junior partner in a “grand coalition” of Germany’s biggest parties under Ms Merkel.
Ms Merkel was greeted at her party’s headquarters by supporters applauding and chanting “Angie!” She said: “Of course, we would have preferred a better result, that is completely clear.
“But we mustn’t forget that we have had a very challenging parliamentary term behind us.
CHANCELLOR ANGELA Merkel is set to lead Germany for a fourth term as exit polls showed her conservative bloc finished first in the country’s election.
Polls conducted for public television channels ARD and ZDF suggested support for Ms Merkel’s conservatives was between 32.5 per cent and 33.5 per cent in Sunday’s vote.
They indicate challenger Martin Schulz’s Social Democrats trailed in second place with between 20 per cent and 21 per cent support.
The polls also suggested that the anti-migrant, nationalist Alternative for Germany party will enter the national parliament for the first time with 13-13.5 per cent support.
Leaders of the Social Democratic Party say they plan to go into opposition after their disappointing second-place finish in the election.
The Social Democrats have been Mrs Merkel’s junior coalition partner for the last four years.
Their decision complicates things for Mrs Merkel, who will have to look to other parties to form a new government coalition.
The head of the Social Democrat’s parliamentary caucus, Thomas Oppermann, and party deputy leader Manuela Schwesig both said immediately after the results the party would go into opposition.
Ms Schweisig said on ZDF television “for us it is very clear that the voters have given us the task of going ahead as the strongest party in opposition”.
Mr Schulz told Social Democrat supporters at party headquarters that “today is a difficult and bitter day”. He added that “we have lost the federal election”.
He said that the party had been successful as the junior partner in Mrs Merkel’s outgoing coalition government, citing its introduction of a national minimum wage among other things. But he conceded that “we clearly didn’t manage to maintain and expand our traditional voter base”.
Mrs Merkel conceded that “of course we would have preferred a better result, that’s completely clear”. But she noted that her party has been in power for 12 years and said the last four years have been “extremely challenging”.
Alternative for Germany has been harshly critical of Mrs Merkel and her decision to let in large numbers of migrants in the last two years.
Mrs Merkel told her supporters that “we want to win back AfD voters” by solving the country’s problems and addressing their concerns.
Mrs Merkel on Friday night had told supporters in Munich not to be complacent with her bloc’s lead. “We can’t use any experiments – we need stability and security.”
Smaller parties were the chief beneficiaries of the erosion in support for Germany’s traditionally dominant parties – above all the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD).
AfD capitalised on discontent with established politicians but particularly targeted those angry over the influx of more than one million mostly Muslim migrants into Germany in the past two years under Ms Merkel.
Another big winner was the pro-business Free Democratic Party, which was set to return to parliament with 10.5 per cent of the vote.
The party was Ms Merkel’s coalition partner in her second term from 2009-2013 but lost all its seats at the last election.
“In a country that is big on schadenfreude, our comeback is an encouraging message – after failure, a new beginning is possible,” party leader Christian Lindner told supporters.
The traditionally left-leaning Greens were seen winning around 9.5 per cent of the vote and the Left Party some nine per cent, meaning both stay in parliament.
Today is a difficult and bitter day. We have lost the federal election. Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democrats