Voters went to the polls Sunday in regional elections in Saar state which are expected to result in a heavy defeat for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD). Some 818,000 electors were eligible to vote for a new state assembly in the first of four local elections in Germany this month which could see a voter backlash against the SPD amid anger over the government's welfare reforms. The SPD has been thrashed in recent elections in the Laender - Germany's federal states - and opinion polls show the Christian Democrats (CDU) set for easy re-election in the tiny, western Saar state which borders France and Luxembourg. The CDU, which serves as the main opposition in Berlin, could win more than 50 per cent in the Saar, according to opinion polls, while Schroeder's SPD is projected to get 30 per cent. First trends will be seen soon after polling booths close at 1600 GMT. The Schroeder government's planned cuts to jobless benefits have hit support for the SPD among traditional left-wing voters and are the target of weekly protests which last Monday drew 70,000 people. In the state elections five years ago, Saar CDU Premier Peter Mueller enjoyed a slim victory over the SPD when his party took 45.5 per cent, compared to 44.4 per cent for the SPD. For Schroeder a defeat in the Saar could set the tone for further elections in the eastern states of Brandenburg and Saxony on September 19. Local elections follow on September 26 in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. An SPD defeat could pave the way for the SPD state government to be tossed out of office in state elections next May 22 in what would be a serious blow to Schroeder's hopes of winning a third term in 2006.
