State elections were held in Schleswig-Holstein on 7 May 2017. Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) won 32 percent of the vote. The Social Democrats (SPD) - which was governing the state in a coalition with the Greens and SSW, a regional party that represents the Danish and Frisian minorities - won just 27.2 percent of the vote.

Voter participation on Sunday was at 64.2 percent, up four percentage points from the state's last elections in 2012.

The Greens obtained 12.9 percent of the vote, while the Free Democrats (FDP) - the CDU's traditional preferred coalition partner - won 11.5 percent. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party picked up 5.9 percent of the vote, meaning it will enter the state's legislature for the first time as it has passed the five percent threshold.

The country's Left Party, with only 3.8 percent of the vote, will not be present in the new Schleswig-Holstein state parliament. The Pirate Party also loses its presence there, gaining just 1.2 percent in Sunday's poll, after claiming 8.2 percent five years earlier.

This year, 16-year-olds could also vote in Schleswig-Holstein's elections. Among the main issues during the campaign were education, infrastructure and the development of wind energy.

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