Groot verlies SPD in deelstaatverkiezingen Saarland (en)

German voters have delivered another stinging blow to the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) in regional elections for the western state of Saarland.

The region - until recently an SPD stronghold - remains in the hands of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), who polled 47.5 percent of the vote, according to the BBC.

The SPD received 30.8 percent of the vote. Its support fell by one third.

The result comes after the SPD's worst electoral result for several years in European elections last June.

The leader of the CDU party, Angela Merkel said, according to the FT, "I am very happy. There is clearly a basis of support for the CDU across the country".

Tough reforms

The tough economic and social reforms introduced by Gerhard Schröder are widely viewed as the reason for the decline in the party's electoral fortunes.

The reform package - known as Hartz IV - aims to free up Germany's economy and labour market by cutting the length of time people receive unemployment benefits.

The result has been large-scale protests every Monday, with tens of thousands of Germans taking to the streets, particularly in the high unemployment area of Eastern Germany.

But officials were insisting that the party would not go back on the reform plans.

More pain to come?

The election in Saarland is seen as a curtain-raiser and useful bell-weather to elections in more populous German states.

The Eastern states of Saxony and Brandenburg go to the polls on 19 September and Germany's most populous state, North-Rhine Westphalia - traditionally an SPD stronghold follows on 26 September.