LOCAL topics usually dominate regional elections. Improving schools and boosting infrastructure are normally the most hotly-contested topics of debate. But when three of Germany’s 16 federal states go to the polls on March 13th the elections will be dominated by one issue: Germany’s refugee policy. The results will be seen as the first big test for Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, since she opened the borders to refugees last year.
Currently Mrs Merkel seems to be doing relatively well in the polls, despite a backlash against her refugee policy from parts of the German public and several conservative politicians. In a poll in late February for ARD, a German television station, 54% said they were happy with her work, compared with 46% a few weeks earlier. The prospect of a deal between the European Union and Turkey could boost her standing further.
Even so the results look likely to be tricky for Mrs Merkel and her party. There are big regional differences between the three states (see map). Baden-Württemberg is an industrial powerhouse in the south-west; its neighbour, Rhineland-Palatinate, makes some of Germany’…
The Economist: Europe
