German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party has suffered a bruising loss in Berlin state elections while the right-wing populist AfD gained fresh support, capitalizing on anger over her open-door refugee policy.
The anti-Islam Alternative for Germany party won over 12 percent, according to public broadcasters’ projections, in the capital which has long prided itself on being a hip, diverse and multicultural city.
The strong AfD result, thanks to support especially in the vast tower block districts in Berlin’s former communist east, meant it has now won opposition seats in 10 of Germany’s 16 states, a year ahead of national elections.
Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic Union won just 18% — its worst post-war result in the city, before or after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall — likely spelling the end of its term as junior coalition partner to the Social Democrats, who won around 22%.
— AFP
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