Daniel Günther, Schleswig-Holstein’s First Minister and a member of Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), pinned the blame for the dreadful results – which saw the CSU pick up just 37.3 percent of the vote – squarely on interior minister and party leader Horst Seehofer, and Bavarian First Minister Markus Söder.
The result could force Söder, who has ruled out a coalition with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, into an awkward alliance with the Greens, which took an impressive 17.8 percent.
Speaking to German newspaper Die Welt, he said: “This can only have homemade reasons.
“Especially since the CSU has its share of responsibility for the less than optimal performance of the federal government in Berlin to bear.
“There must be a rethinking of our Bavarian friends, especially in style matters. The brute nature of the CSU to make politics may have been appreciated 30 years ago by the voters in Bavaria, nowadays that is not enough anymore.”
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Mr Günther accused the CSU – with whom the CDU has a longstanding electoral alliance – of putting voters off as a result of its approach, with Mr Seehofer embroiled in controversy earlier this year after threatening to resign in protest over Mrs Merkel’s “open door” immigration policy.
He added: “The CSU leadership has made mistakes completely in the past few years: Horst Seehofer, Markus Söder, Alexander Dobrindt – you can not exempt anyone.”
Mr Gunther’s comments are in part a response to criticism levelled against Mrs Merkel in the wake of the Bavarian elections.
nd another bad result in the Hasse election – held on October 28, could spell the end for Mrs Merkel.
Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Andrea Nahles claimed the “poor performance” of Mrs Merkel’s federal government in Berlin was one of the reasons for her party’s weak showing in Bavaria.
She added: “It’s clear that something has to change”.
President of the Atlantic Council think tank Fred Kempe said: “The political earthquake was in Bavaria, but the aftershocks will be felt in Berlin.
“Talk will increase ever more about the end of the Merkel era.”
For his part, Mr Seehofer has largely attempted to brush off criticism aimed at him.
He told reporters yesterday: “I’m not going to engage in a personnel debate about myself today.”
He also suggested he saw no reason to quit his post, in which he is effectively Mrs Merkel’s deputy, despite mounting criticism.
As the dust settles on the Bavarian results, attention will turn to a similar regional poll in Hesse, which includes financial centre Frankfurt, home of the Central European Bank.
Opinion polls indicate CDU support is hovering around the 30 percent mark, significantly less than the 37.2 percent it attracted in 2013.
Both the Greens – on 18 percent in the most recent survey – and the AfD – on 13 percent – are significantly ahead of where they were five years ago, on 11.1 percent and 4.1 percent respectively.
Hesse First Minister Volker Bouffier, who is under pressure to deliver a result which will give Mrs Merkel some breathing space, followed Mr Günther in terms of blaming Mr Seehofer, whom he accused of damaging the image of the CDU/CSU alliance.
He said: “We’ve lost trust because of the CSU.“