Ruling coalition loses majority in key regional defeat

The centre-right coalition led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel has lost its majority in the upper house of Germany’s parliament, after suffering a defeat in regional elections on Sunday. Merkel’s Christian Democrat party and its Free Democrat allies failed to gain a majority from voters in North Rhine-Westphalia state, in what is seen as a telling pronouncement on the government’s popularity days after it approved a massive bail-out package for Greece.

Reuters

With 13.5 million voters, North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany’s most populous state and considered a bellwether for national voting patterns.

The Christian Democrats (CDU) won 34.6 per cent of votes – their worst result ever in the state – and the Free Democrats (FDP) 6.7 per cent.

The opposition Social Democrats (SPD) took 34.5 per cent, the Greens 12.1 per cent and the Left Party 5.6 per cent.

The two strongest parties will now be forced to form an alliance to govern the state, which had been controlled by the CDU-FDP coalition since 2005.

The result also cost the alliance its automatic majority in Germany’s upper house, the Bundesrat.

Merkel will now be dependent on opposition support to push through her long-promised tax and health care reforms.

The defeat is a “warning shot for the governing parties,” according to Foreign Minister and FDP leader Guido Westerwelle.

“We must make an effort to win back lost trust,” he said.

The German public has voiced strong opposition to plans to bail out heavily indebted Greece.

Under the European Union-International Monetary Fund rescue approved on Friday, Europe’s largest economy will loan Athens 22.4 billion euros over three years. Germany will also make a major contribution to the emergency EU rescue package that was agreed on Sunday.

Germany is scheduled to hold national parliamentary elections in 2013.