In the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, State Premier Malu Dreyer (left) from the SPD, and Christian Baldauf, the CDU's top candidate, give a TV interview in Mainz, on Sunday. KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, was trounced in state elections on Sunday, suggesting a changing of the guard may be on the way.
With the clock ticking down to September's full national elections, the party's "historically" poor performance in voting for state governors could be a precursor for change after Merkel's 16 years in power.
Markus Blume, leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party CSU in the state of Bavaria and Bavarian premier, told Bild Live: "The election results are so bad that you can't say 'just keep going'."