Merkel loses Berlin to Alternative for Germany

Another big blow for German chancellor Angela Merkel took place in the capital city Berlin, before the federal election next year. In the regional election In Berlin, Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered such a setback that Berlin will have the very first left-wing triple coalition in its history.

Center-left Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel’s coalition partner came out on the top with 21.6 percent of all votes, followed by CDU, which secured 17.5 percent, followed by Din Linke (15.7 percent) and the Greens (15.1 percent). The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which was formed only in 2013 and fought the election for the very first time in Berlin, secured 14.1 percent. AfD has now made ways to ten out 16 regional parliaments in Germany.

Survey showed one of the biggest factors in the election remained the refugee crisis that erupted in Europe last year. German chancellor Merkel’s open-door policy led to the intake for more than a million refugees to Germany, which is now struggling with the assimilation of values. Many in Germany see the influx of Muslim dominated refugees as the Islamic invasion of Europe. The state elections are strongly suggesting that the next year’s federal election will not be good for chancellor Merkel and can very well mark the end of Merkel era in Germany.