The populist rightwing Alternative for Germany secured a political foothold in Berlin in Sunday’s regional election, although it fell short of its pre-poll target as voters rallied to the country’s mainstream parties.
The result, if confirmed in the final count, maintains the political pressure on chancellor Angela Merkel as she struggles to retain public confidence in her controversial refugee policy.
Votes for the chancellor’s CDU fell from 23 per cent in 2011 to an estimated 18 per cent, its lowest-ever result in Berlin in the German capital, while the Social Democrats’ share of the vote declined from 28 per cent to an estimated 23 per cent.