Voting in decisive Bavarian state election underway

Voters in Bavaria – Germany’s largest and second most populated federal state – are heading to the polls to choose 180 members of the 18th Landtag of Bavaria, the regional parliament. The election is seen as a serious challenge for Angele Merkel’s sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), as it has been projected by polls to lose its absolute majority – for only the second time in nearly six decades. The anti-establishment Alternative for Germany party (AfD) and the Greens are predicted to gain, polls indicate. The Social Democrats (SPD), the Left (Die Linke), the Free Democrats (FDP), and the Free Voters (Freie Waehler) are also competing for seats in the local parliament.