Despite the fact that Bavarian CSU received 35,5% of votes in the regional election, the party suffered their worst election result since 1950, as the results of the exit poll show.
The party's secretary-general, Markus Blume confessed to ARD television channel that this was a sad day for the conservatives but said they should wait for all returns to come in.
The sister party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats is trailed by the Greens with 18.5 percent and the Free Voters party with 11.5 percent, Bavarian Radio said.
READ MORE: Bavarian Election Threatens to Deal Devastating Blow to Merkel's Allies
Merkel's CDU ally lost their votes to right-wing parties. Thus, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) is entering the state assembly for the first time with 11 percent of the votes.
Chancellor Merkel's other partner in the governing coalition, the Social Democrats (SPD), came in fifth with 10 percent of the votes. These results mean that the CSU will need to form a coalition.
When asked to comment on the exit poll, Martin Sichert, the chairman of party AfD in Bavaria, told Sputnik that "if the CSU loses the majority in Bavaria, that will be a disaster for Merkel's government."
"We expect big losses for the CSU and the SPD," he said, adding that the AfD hopes that Angela Merkel will draw conclusions.
READ MORE: Support for Merkel Bavarian Ally Drops to All-Time Low Ahead of Vote — Poll
The vote may spell the end of CSU's decades-long lone rule in the rich German state. With 101 seats, it currently enjoys an absolute majority in the 180-seat Landtag.
AfD President Meuthen Praises ‘Excellent Result’ in Bavaria Voting
The president of Alternative for Germany (AfD) told Sputnik he was satisfied with his party’s showing in this Sunday’s Bavarian parliamentary race, dampened only by a breakthrough of like-minded Free Voters (FW).
"We are very satisfied with the excellent result of the AfD list led by Katrin Ebner-Steiner. I expected a little more, but the presence of the FW in Bavaria, which has the same position as the AfD on many issues, has reduced our progress," Joerg Meuthen said.
Meuthen regretted that mainstream parties – the CSU and the Social Democrats (SPD) – would never team up with the AfD, despite the 23 seats it is about to get.
"The CSU would do a huge mistake to rule Bavaria on the left with the Greens, whose programme is wrong on all points. This is what Merkel wants in Berlin, of course," he added.
The polls closed at 6 p.m. (16:00GMT). The final tally is expected by October 30. Around 9.5 million were eligible to cast their votes in the region, which has the second-biggest economy in Germany.
