Merkel's party drops to record low in Hamburg voting, Greens make gains

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party plunged to a record low in a state election in Hamburg as voters gave their first verdict on political turmoil in Germany that has upended her succession plans. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union took 11.5 per cent of the vote on Sunday, a drop of about 4 percentage points, according to projections for ARD public television. The city-state’s governing Social Democrats were also diminished, winning the election with a projected 37.5 per cent, compared with 45.6 per cent five years ago. 

The big winner was the Green party, which more than doubled its support to a projected