Olaf Scholz SPD - Triumphal Election Victory in Hamburg Germany

olafscholz German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) lost the majority after voting in state elections in Hamburg on Sunday.The German Social Democrats (SPD) claimed a resounding victory taking 48.3 percent of the vote, compared to CDU’s 21.9 percent.

As a result, Hamburg city mayor, CDU’s Christoph Ahlhaus, will step down and be replaced by SPD's Olaf Scholz. The results are a big blow to Merkel, who also lost three seats in the Upper House of German Parliament, making it more difficult for her CDU to pass legislation, according to German newspaper Deutsche Welle.

The CDU, which had been in government in Hamburg since 2001, was severely punished by voters. At 21.9 percent, the party received its worst result in the port city since World War II; in the last election, in 2008, it reaped 42.6 percent of the vote. Observers attributed the CDU's loss of support to voter dissatisfaction with the party over a range of local issues, such as a failed education reform and controversial plans to dredge the city's Elbe River to improve access to Hamburg's important port.

This election is the worst showing for CDU since the second world war. The Hamburg elections are the first of seven state elections in Germany this year. The next ones will be in March in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg. The Baden-Württemberg election is seen as an especially important one for Merkel since the CDU has held power there for the last 58 years. If Merkel loses the state, it will disadvantage CDU at the federal level, according to Hamburg University political scientist Michael Greven, reported AFP.