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DOSSIER – In this archive photo of 17 October 2018, German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a meeting of the German Federal Parliament, the Bundestag, at the Reichstag Building in Berlin. The stakes are exceptionally high for the government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while the central region of Hesse votes in the legislative elections this weekend. (Markus Schreiber, Dossier / Associated Press)
BERLIN – Latest news about the local elections in Germany in the central state of Hessen (all times local):
18h
Exit polls show that Chancellor Angela Merkel's party is leading parliamentary elections in the Hesse region of central Germany, but that support for its conservatives and center-left partners in the national government has fallen sharply.
Public exit polls conducted by ARD and ZDF provided 28% support to Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and 20% to the center-left Social Democrats. In the last election of its parliament in 2013, Hesse won 38.3% and 30.7% respectively.
The Greens achieved gains that amounted to about 20% of those of the Social Democrats. And the far right alternative for Germany was about to enter the last of the 16 German parliaments with 13%.
The election has an unusually high national political significance after months of infighting within Merkel's federal coalition.
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8h
The central region of Germany, Hesse, voted in a national election marked by discontent and internal conflict within the national government. His findings could help determine whether the administration of Chancellor Angela Merkel has a long-term future.
Sunday's legislative elections in Hesse, which includes the German financial center of Frankfurt, come as support for the ruling parties deteriorates and tensions are high in a federal coalition in place only since March.
The Merkel Christian Democrat Union defends its 19 years of detention on Hesse, formerly a stronghold of the center-left Social Democrats, partners of the Chancellor's federal coalition in Berlin. A disastrous result for one or both parties could further destabilize the national government and, ultimately, the position of Merkel, leader of Germany for 13 years.
Two weeks ago, two of the ruling federal parties were defeated in an election in neighboring Bavaria. This has given additional importance to the Hessen elections, which account for 6.2 million of Germany's 82 million inhabitants.
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