from Der Spiegel:
Merkel's conservatives have not had a good year at the ballot box. And in a Sunday election in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, things are about to get worse, with polls projecting a slide in support. Observers will also be paying close attention to how the right-wing extremist NPD fares.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats, hit by a series of regional election defeats this year, face further losses in a vote in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sunday that will likely be seen as a fresh sign of public discontent with her leadership.
Her center-right coalition of conservatives and pro-business Free Democrats has suffered a slump in support this year due to growing discontent over Merkel's handling of the euro crisis and because of turmoil in the FDP, under fire for its perceived poor record in government.
The parties suffered a major blow in March when they lost power in the large south-western state of Baden-Württemberg, a CDU bastion for over half a century. ...........(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,783645,00.html