Angela Merkel party’s win provides reality check for election challenger
Victory for Christian Democratic Union in Saarland state underscores the challenge facing the Social Democratic Party trying to deny the chancellor a fourth term
Berlin — Angela Merkel’s election victory in Saarland state delivered a reality check in 2017’s contest for the chancellery, underscoring the challenge facing the Social Democratic Party (SPD) trying to deny her a fourth term. Energised by the candidacy of former European Parliament president Martin Schulz, the SPD headed into the ballot with a poll bounce. Instead, Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union posted its biggest win in the state in 13 years, after a campaign that included raising the spectre of the anti-capitalist Left party entering the state government. "For Merkel, this is a positive start into the election year and should help to calm the mood within her alliance of Christian parties," Carsten Nickel, a risk analyst at Teneo Intelligence in Brussels, said in a research note. "The SPD will recognise that it is still a long way to taking over the chancellery in September." Merkel’s Christian Democrats took 40.7% of the vote on Sunday, a gain of 5.5 percentage points over t...
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