Exit polls indicate heavy losses for Merkel allies in Bavaria elections

BERLIN — Exit polls indicate German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative allies are losing their absolute majority in Bavaria’s state parliament by a wide margin.

The ARD and ZDF public television exit polls have the Christian Social Union winning 35.5 percent of the vote in Sunday’s regional election, down from 47.7% five years ago.

That would be the party’s worst performance in Bavaria, which it has traditionally dominated, since 1950.

The polls say the Greens are making major gains to secure second place with up to 19% of the vote. They show the far-right Alternative for Germany entering the state legislature in Munich with 11%.

The center-left Social Democrats, Merkel’s junior coalition partners in Berlin, are on course to win some 10%, half their score in 2013.

— AP