Markel coalition suffers Berlin poll rout

Chancellor Angela Merkels coalition suffered a painful blow in a regional election in Berlin Sunday, early results showed, amid voter anger over the German leaders handling of the eurozone debt crisis.Merkels conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) were beaten into second place in the poll, albeit with a slight rise in support compared to previous elections in 2006.But the junior partner in her fractious coalition, the Free Democrats (FDP), saw its electoral support plummeting again. It failed by a wide margin to clear the five-percent hurdle needed in Germany for representation in parliament.Berlins popular and colourful Social Democrat mayor, Klaus Wowereit, secured 29.2 percent of the vote, according to initial results published by ARD television channel, meaning he must now choose a coalition partner.Living up to his image as a party animal, Wowereit jumped around the stage in front of his supporters after the results were made public, clapping his hands to thumping pop music.Let me just say this: Ive seen the other election parties on television and ours is definitely the best, he shouted to thunderous applause.Merkels CDU won 23.4 percent, a gain in comparison to the 21.3 percent they gained five years ago in the left-leaning German capital.The ecologist Green party, which has seen its popularity gain steadily since Japans Fukushima catastrophe in March due to their anti-nuclear stance, clinched 17.9 percent.A major success story of the election was the spectacular rise of the Pirate Party, which secured its first-ever parliamentary representation in one of Germanys 16 states, winning 8.6 percent of the vote.An irreverent outfit with roots in Scandinavia, the Pirate Party calls for free wireless Internet service for all, unlimited access to public transportation funded by taxes and better data protection.But the losers of the election were once again the FDP, which was ejected from the parliament with a mere 1.8 percent.This followed a humiliation two weeks ago in Merkels home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where they were beaten handily by the neo-Nazi NPD party.