Merkel defeated in populous German state
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel has suffered a major defeat at the hands of a left wing opposition.
Merkel conservatives suffered the defeat on Sunday in an election in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state.
The result is likely to stymie her European austerity policies, in which she has been insistent on fiscal discipline throughout Europe.
Many European countries have recently implored Merkel to shift away from austerity demands in favour of growth-oriented policies.
Euro zone debt crises may now become exacerbated due to the defeat, which has left Merkel vulnerable with only 18 months before the national vote in which she will be standing for a third term as Germany's president.
On the weekend, the center-left Social Democrats won 38.9 percent of the vote.
Merkel's Christian Democrats plunged in the polls to just 26.3 percent, down from nearly 35 percent in 2010.
Elections in North Rhine-Westphalia are known to influence national politics.
Merkel won her own seat seven years ago after crushing then-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's SPD in the same state.
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