Pressure was mounting on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday to calm the voter anger that fuelled a far-right party's most significant election win since the Nazi era.
Members of Mr Scholz's party called the state election results in Germany's former East a “final wake-up call” and a moment for “humility and reflection” in his government.
Some MPs within Mr Scholz's three-party coalition hinted he should resign after the Alternative for Germany (AfD) topped the poll in the state of Thuringia.
Although opposing parties will probably work together to keep the AfD out of power, its victory broke a taboo in post-1945 Germany and led to finger-pointing across the political spectrum.
The election result came 85 years to the day since Germany invaded Poland, ushering in the Second World War and Thuringia is particularly symbolic as an early electoral stronghold of the Nazis.
The AfD in Thuringia is regarded as particularly radical. Domestic intelligence treats it as extremist and its leader, Bjorn Hocke, has convictions for using Nazi slogans.
The party campaigned vigorously on immigration and crime at the regional polls in Thuringia and in Saxony, where the AfD came second. The votes were for regional governments but were overshadowed by national concerns.
Mr Hocke, one of the AfD's most prominent figures, seized on an Islamist knife attack in Solingen nine days before the election to drive home his message that a “multicultural experiment must be stopped”.
Germany votes in state elections – in pictures
Discontent with Mr Scholz's government, which has been plagued by infighting and economic malaise, was also seen as a crucial factor.
Ministers announced a package of policies on migration, extremism and knife crime last week in what was seen as a desperate last-ditch bid to calm populist anger.
“After such a devastating defeat for the coalition parties, it should be time for a bit of humility, reflection and sorting things out,” Michael Roth, a senior MP from Mr Scholz's Social Democrats, said on Monday.
Some within the coalition appear to be “cheerfully carrying on as before”, he said. “That is like committing suicide for fear of death.”
Wake-up call
A second Social Democrat, Sebastian Roloff, said the “terrible results” in Thuringia and Saxony should be a “final wake-up call”.
“Politics, and that certainly includes the government, needs to take the concerns of the population more seriously,” he said.
Exit polls showed the AfD was especially popular among those in economic hardship. The party is strongest in the former East, where resentment at the wealthier West still lingers and racial tension has been high.
Support for coalition parties was near rock bottom. The Social Democrats came fourth and fifth in the two contests. The Greens won no seats in Thuringia, and the liberal Free Democrats no seats in either state.
Wolfgang Kubicki, deputy leader of the Free Democrats, said the results showed the coalition had “lost its legitimacy”.
“When a substantial part of the population refuses to support it in this manner, that must have consequences,” he said. “People have the impression that this coalition is damaging the country.”
Christoph Hoffmann, another liberal MP, said Mr Scholz should “clear the way” for his more popular Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius.
Mr Scholz responded, calling the results worrying, speaking in his parliamentary capacity as a Social Democrat.
“Our country cannot and must not get used to this. The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country's reputation,” he said.
The coalition could suffer another defeat when a third eastern state, Brandenburg, goes to the polls on September 22.
Germany's next general election is in September 2025 and there are growing doubts whether the coalition will survive until then, although it still has a comfortable majority in parliament.
Majorities in Thuringia and Saxony will be harder to attain. The centre-right Christian Democrats are in pole position to lead new coalitions, but working with the AfD is against customs and the next-strongest party, the left-populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, is hardly a natural partner.
Tino Chrupalla, one of the AfD's two national leaders, said it was “ready and willing to talk to all parties”. He said there would be “no politics without the AfD”.
Kill%20Bill%20Volume%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Quentin%20Tarantino%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Uma%20Thurman%2C%20David%20Carradine%20and%20Michael%20Madsen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More coverage from the Future Forum
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Fernando Jara (jockey), Irfan Ellahi (trainer).
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,400m
Winner: Yaalail, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 1,600m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Fernando Jara, Helal Al Alawi.
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2.200m
Winner: Ezz Al Rawasi, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi.
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
The years Ramadan fell in May
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
The five pillars of Islam
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Usain Bolt's time for the 100m at major championships
2008 Beijing Olympics 9.69 seconds
2009 Berlin World Championships 9.58
2011 Daegu World Championships Disqualified
2012 London Olympics 9.63
2013 Moscow World Championships 9.77
2015 Beijing World Championships 9.79
2016 Rio Olympics 9.81
2017 London World Championships 9.95
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
