BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2021) Voters in two German states have punished Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives for their poor crisis management, the leader of the liberal Free Democratic Party said Monday.
Christian Democrats suffered historic losses in the states of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate on Sunday, hurting the chances of Armin Laschet, the party's new leader, to succeed Merkel as chancellor after the national legislative election in September.
"In our opinion, the election was also a vote of confidence in the crisis management policy of the CDU-led Federal government. We think it would be expedient to start making amendments to the crisis policy now, instead of waiting until the election to the Bundestag," FDP's Christian Lindner told reporters.
The leader of the business-friendly party urged the federal government to allow greater social openness and help the financial and business sectors reverse their pandemic-induced losses.
Lindner said the regional elections were a "good prelude" for his party in the crucial pre-September campaign. Early projections show that the FDP won 10.5 percent of the vote in Baden-Wuerttemberg and 5.5 percent in Rhineland-Palatinate.
