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| Merkel refugee policy blamed for CDU German regional defeat | Merkel refugee policy blamed for CDU German regional defeat |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| German Chancellor Angela Merkel's allies have urged her to change course on refugees after her governing CDU party was beaten in a regional election by an anti-immigrant party. | German Chancellor Angela Merkel's allies have urged her to change course on refugees after her governing CDU party was beaten in a regional election by an anti-immigrant party. |
| The right-wing AfD party, formed only three years ago, came second in the chancellor's home state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, polling 21%. | |
| Mrs Merkel has defended her policies but said she needs to "win back trust". | |
| Some 1.1 million refugees and migrants entered Germany in 2015. | Some 1.1 million refugees and migrants entered Germany in 2015. |
| Many of them arrived after the government decided to loosen border controls just over a year ago. | Many of them arrived after the government decided to loosen border controls just over a year ago. |
| Mrs Merkel, who is in China for the G20 summit, said she was "very unhappy" with the election result. | |
| "Everyone now needs to think about how we can win back trust - most of all, of course, myself," she said. | |
| "Obviously it [the election result] has something to do with the refugee question. But I nevertheless believe the decisions made were right and we have to continue to work on them." | |
| A vote about refugees - by Jenny Hill, BBC Berlin correspondent | |
| This is humiliating for Angela Merkel - not least because this was on home turf. This election - which was seen as a significant test ahead of next year's general election - was all about her refugee policy. For a year she's insisted "Wir schaffen es" (we can do it) but German voters aren't convinced. | |
| Alternative fuer Deutschland's anti immigrant and increasingly strident anti-Islam message has a powerful appeal to people concerned about integration and worried about domestic security. | |
| It doesn't look good for Mrs Merkel. Her approval ratings are at a five-year low. But don't be tempted to write her off just yet - she has a habit of bouncing back and there is no serious contender waiting in the wings to replace her. | |
| The AfD leader in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Leif-Erik Holm, suggested that "perhaps this is the beginning of the end of Angela Merkel's chancellorship". | The AfD leader in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Leif-Erik Holm, suggested that "perhaps this is the beginning of the end of Angela Merkel's chancellorship". |
| AfD (Alternative fuer Deutschland) now has delegates in nine of Germany's 16 states. | |
| "It's a debacle for Angela Merkel and her refugee policy," said Edmund Stoiber, honorary chairman of the Bavarian-based CSU, the sister party of the CDU. | "It's a debacle for Angela Merkel and her refugee policy," said Edmund Stoiber, honorary chairman of the Bavarian-based CSU, the sister party of the CDU. |
| It was not enough to criticise the AfD's voters, he argued - the CDU had to understand why people were losing faith in its policies. | It was not enough to criticise the AfD's voters, he argued - the CDU had to understand why people were losing faith in its policies. |
| Mr Stoiber called for a limit on the number of people entering Germany. | Mr Stoiber called for a limit on the number of people entering Germany. |
| How the parties polled: | How the parties polled: |
| The CDU is in coalition nationally with the SPD, and also regionally in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, although that may now change. | The CDU is in coalition nationally with the SPD, and also regionally in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, although that may now change. |
| Wolfgang Bosbach of the CDU said the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants without documents had "put the wind in AfD's sails". | |
| CSU Secretary General Andreas Scheuer spelt out that what was now needed was a cap on refugee numbers and better repatriation of failed asylum seekers. | |
| Ahead of the vote Mrs Merkel gave a defiant interview on immigration, insisting that change was not a bad thing and that "Germany will remain Germany, with everything that is dear to us". | |
| Although the chancellor's popularity has fallen nationally, she still has 45% approval ratings and has yet to decide if she wants to run for a fourth term in the September 2017 elections. | |
| German media asks if Merkel's job is on the line | German media asks if Merkel's job is on the line |
| "How many more electoral disasters can Merkel take?" wonders tabloid Bild, and predicts that temporarily pacified opposition to Mrs Merkel's line inside her conservative bloc could erupt with full force. | "How many more electoral disasters can Merkel take?" wonders tabloid Bild, and predicts that temporarily pacified opposition to Mrs Merkel's line inside her conservative bloc could erupt with full force. |
| In fact, a senior member of the powerful Bavarian sister party of Ms Merkel's Christian Democrats, Markus Soeder, has already called for a "change of course" in remarks to Bild. | In fact, a senior member of the powerful Bavarian sister party of Ms Merkel's Christian Democrats, Markus Soeder, has already called for a "change of course" in remarks to Bild. |
| An article in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung predicts an "autumn of discontent" for the chancellor, while Die Welt thinks many of her long-standing critics will now "break cover" and "let rip". | An article in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung predicts an "autumn of discontent" for the chancellor, while Die Welt thinks many of her long-standing critics will now "break cover" and "let rip". |
| But a commentary in news magazine Der Spiegel believes that while the election is a "debacle" for Ms Merkel, her job is not on the line quite yet. | But a commentary in news magazine Der Spiegel believes that while the election is a "debacle" for Ms Merkel, her job is not on the line quite yet. |
| Some think it is not all just about Mrs Merkel. A commentary in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung argues that voters are angry at "(almost) all" mainstream parties, and not just the Christian Democrats, mainly over globalisation and "compromise-based politics". | Some think it is not all just about Mrs Merkel. A commentary in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung argues that voters are angry at "(almost) all" mainstream parties, and not just the Christian Democrats, mainly over globalisation and "compromise-based politics". |