No change to Merkel”s migrant policy despite election setbacks

The German government has said there will be no change in the country’s immigration policy despite right-wing gains in three state elections. The anti-immigrant AfD party had campaigned against what it called Chancellor Merkel’s “catastrophic” decision to welcome a million migrants and refugees last year.  But the AfD remains a minor force, especially in western […]

The German government has said there will be no change in the country’s immigration policy despite right-wing gains in three state elections.
The anti-immigrant AfD party had campaigned against what it called Chancellor Merkel’s “catastrophic” decision to welcome a million migrants and refugees last year.  But the AfD remains a minor force, especially in western Germany.
The poll was seen as a test of support for Mrs Merkel’s refugee policy.
Her Christian Democrats (CDU) lost votes but remained the strongest party in the poor eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD made its biggest gains, taking a quarter of the vote. That made it the second-biggest party there.
The CDU lost a third of its vote in Baden-Württemberg, reaching a historic low of 27%. The Green Party came first, while the AfD gained about 15% of the vote.
In Rhineland-Palatinate the Social Democrats maintained their position as the strongest party, the CDU came second – in a state they had hoped to win – and the AfD came fourth with 12.5%.