Germany's Social Democrats suffer historic election defeat

Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) recorded its worst-ever result in a state election, receiving just 5.5 percent of the vote. This poor performance has raised the possibility of the party being ejected from a state parliament for the first time.

Party leadership initially stated there would be no immediate personnel changes, but later said they would discuss their top personnel following the defeat. Analysts and headlines describe the SPD as having an identity problem and being perceived by many as the most boring party.