FRANKFURT: Germans cast ballots in two key state elections on Sunday in a test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's fractious coalition halfway through its term, while the resurgent far right may get another boost.
A surge in immigration and economic woes are top issues for the nearly 14 million people eligible to vote in Bavaria, the country's biggest state, and in Hesse.
With the combined voter base making up almost one in five of Germany's electorate, and both states qualifying as economic heavyweights among the country's 16 regions, the elections are seen as a crucial indicator of the population's mood.
After forming a three-party coalition two years ago, Scholz has had to contend with Russia's attack of Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis, which plunged Germany into recession.
Adding to the problems, the chancellor's coalition -- comprising his centre-left SPD, the Greens and the pro-business FDP — has been consumed by bitter infighting on issues ranging from climate laws to spending cuts.
"The parties that form the federal government are in a bad starting position here," Arndt Leininger said, a political expert.
"In both states, all three parties are currently below their results in the last regional elections," he said.
Not helping the cause of the SPD and its coalition partners, both states are conservative strongholds, with Hesse ruled for 24 years by the main opposition CDU and Bavaria since 1957 by the CSU, headed by Markus Soeder.
Meanwhile the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is forecast to make gains after a recent surge in poll ratings at the national level and a string of local election victories.
While the AfD is not expected to enter government in either state — its strongholds are in eastern Germany — further progress would ring alarm bells anew about the party's growing popularity.
The AfD is traditionally an anti-immigration party but has also focused on attacking the coalition's climate policies, driven by the Greens, that have been unpopular, with critics saying they could unduly burden households.
Immigration has emerged as a central theme for the elections as Germany — like elsewhere in Europe — faces a surge of new arrivals, reviving memories of a major influx in 2015.
In a recent survey Bavarians cited immigration as the most important subject and state premier Soeder, whose CSU is the sister party of the CDU, renewed calls for a tougher approach. — AFP
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