The state elections in Bavaria dealt a blow to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as her conservative allies lost their absolute majority in state parliament, according to multiple reports.
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria won about 37% of the vote, down from nearly 48% five years ago, Reuters reported. The Greens secured second place with nearly 18% of the vote, while the far-right Alternative of Germany entered the legislature with nearly 11%, according to the report. The center-left Social Democrats are on course to win about 9.5%, down by half from five years ago.
The CSU, a conservative party, has typically dominated in the region, and the turnout is its worst since 1950, according to the Associated Press. Merkel is of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, the counterpart to the CSU.