Big losses for Merkel in German state elections

Berlin (CNN) -- A political shift of historic proportions is unfolding in Germany as preliminary state election results indicate big losses for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Party, CDU. The CDU now seems poised to lose a major stronghold to a Green Party-led coalition in a key state. Green Party members were celebrating a major triumph Sunday in the prosperous southwestern state of Baden-Wurtternberg, ruled by the CDU since 1953 and home to 11 million people. Early results showed that Merkel's party won 39% of the popular vote in Baden-Wurttermberg but failed to gain a majority. The Greens, which won 24.2% of the votes, are expected to form a coalition with the Social Democrats, which polled 23%. This will be the first time a liberal Green Party premier will be elected in Baden-Wurtternberg, known for its conservative, pro-business voting practices। http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/03/27/germany.elections/index.html