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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Merkel party faces election test | Merkel party faces election test |
| (about 10 hours later) | |
| German voters have taken part in two state polls, in Lower Saxony and Hesse. Opinion polls suggest Angela Merkel's party, the conservative CDU, may lose its majority in Hesse - a politically and economically important state. | |
| The current governor of Hesse, the CDU's Roland Koch, is running for a third term in office. | The current governor of Hesse, the CDU's Roland Koch, is running for a third term in office. |
| Mr Koch has provoked a storm of protest with calls for tougher sentences and the deportation of what he called "young criminal foreigners." | Mr Koch has provoked a storm of protest with calls for tougher sentences and the deportation of what he called "young criminal foreigners." |
| Mr Koch is known as the "crown prince" by conservatives. | Mr Koch is known as the "crown prince" by conservatives. |
| But his campaign, which has focused on crime and immigration, has recently alienated many voters. | But his campaign, which has focused on crime and immigration, has recently alienated many voters. |
| The latest opinion polls suggest support for the ruling conservatives has dropped, paving the way for a victory by the Social Democrats (SPD). | |
| Left challenge | Left challenge |
| The SPD candidate and Mr Koch's main rival is Andrea Ypsilanti, the daughter of a trade union official. | The SPD candidate and Mr Koch's main rival is Andrea Ypsilanti, the daughter of a trade union official. |
| Ms Ypsilanti has won a following by focusing on education and wages | Ms Ypsilanti has won a following by focusing on education and wages |
| She has won over voters by talking about local issues like education and a minimum wage. | She has won over voters by talking about local issues like education and a minimum wage. |
| Once written off by the pollsters, Ms Ypsilanti has recently made a surprising comeback. | Once written off by the pollsters, Ms Ypsilanti has recently made a surprising comeback. |
| Defeat for Chancellor Merkel's conservative party would be a political earthquake, as these regional elections are being seen as a big test for Ms Merkel ahead of next year's federal election. | Defeat for Chancellor Merkel's conservative party would be a political earthquake, as these regional elections are being seen as a big test for Ms Merkel ahead of next year's federal election. |
| Campaign error? | Campaign error? |
| Professor Hajo Funke, a political scientist, says the conservatives' anti-foreigner campaign may have backfired. | Professor Hajo Funke, a political scientist, says the conservatives' anti-foreigner campaign may have backfired. |
| "If Roland Koch wins, it will have effects not only for this election, but for the next state elections and the next federal elections," he told the BBC. | "If Roland Koch wins, it will have effects not only for this election, but for the next state elections and the next federal elections," he told the BBC. |
| "Because then you will have a different CDU, with more foreign hatred, with more national conservative elements - in the party, and in the strategy." | "Because then you will have a different CDU, with more foreign hatred, with more national conservative elements - in the party, and in the strategy." |
| With the big parties running neck and neck, the election campaign in Hesse has been emotionally charged and highly divisive. | With the big parties running neck and neck, the election campaign in Hesse has been emotionally charged and highly divisive. |
| As polling day approaches, conservative and SPD party managers are appealing to voters to make a clear choice. | As polling day approaches, conservative and SPD party managers are appealing to voters to make a clear choice. |
| No-one wants a coalition government. | No-one wants a coalition government. |