The Social Democratic Party (SPD) of the German Chancellor, who has held the town hall of Berlin for more than 20 years, suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday February 11 in local elections in the capital, being clearly outstripped by the conservatives, according to the TV channel ratings.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came out on top in the election for the local parliament in the city-state of Berlin with around 28% of the vote, against around 18% for the Social Democrats of the SPD, their worst result since the Second World War, according to the first figures of the ARD and ZDF channels.