Leftwing alliance

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned against the likelihood of a leftwing coalition winning Germany's most populous state and the implication this would have on national politics.

Elections for North Rhine-Westphalia are scheduled for May 9. The ruling coalition could lose to a far-left combination of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the Left party.

North Rhine-Westphalia is currently governed by a coalition of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) - the same combination as the national government in Berlin.

Litmus test

The regional election is Merkel's first electoral test since her center-right coalition took office nearly five months ago. Polls show voters are dissatisfied with the constant bickering within the center-right coalition government on a range of issues from fiscal policy, health reforms and nuclear power.

"The largest state must be governed soundly, as it can't be the location for 'experiments' with uncertain conclusions," Merkel told a CDU party convention in the western city of Muenster.

"Class struggle is yesterday's thing," Merkel said. "Class struggle is not what will take us forward," she added, in reference to the Left party's Marxist rhetoric. In parts the Left party is a successor to the communist party of East Germany.

The election outcome could affect the CDU's majority in the Bundesrat, the German upper house of parliament, where North Rhine-Westphalia's 13.5 million voters could tip the balance of power if they voted the CDU out of office.

According to an opinion poll conducted by ZDF TV channel, both the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats would receive less votes than they did in regional elections five years ago. The CDU has 37 percent, compared to 33 percent for the SPD, the Greens have 12 percent, the FDP 8 percent and the Left party have 6 percent.

nrt/Reuters/dpa

Editor: Andreas Illmer