Angela Merkel's own party has turned on her after suffering an election defeat to an anti-immigration party - with ministers admitting 'she cannot ignore the views of the people'.

The German chancellor is under renewed pressure to U-turn on her controversial 'open door' refugee policy after her conservative CDU party was hammered into third place in a the election in her home state on Sunday.

The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party clinched almost 21 per cent in its first bid for seats in the regional parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

With her eyes on national elections next year, AfD co-chief Beatrix von Storch hailed the shock outcome as 'the beginning of the end of the Merkel era', while Bild daily labelled the result another 'slap across the face' for the chancellor.

Angela Merkel's own party has turned on her after suffering an election defeat to an anti-immigration party - with ministers admitting 'she cannot ignore the views of the people'

The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party clinched almost 21 per cent in its first bid for seats in the regional parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. AfD supporters are pictured cheering after the first exit polls were revealed

The result also led the daily newspaper Die Welt to comment: 'Germany now has what has never existed since the end of the war: an extreme-right party'. Her own key allies are now demanding changes, fearful of being decimated at the ballot box in n next year's general election.

The anti-immigrant, anti-EU Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won nearly 22 percent in the vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The CDU trailed with 19 percent, its worst ever score in the starte where the chancellor has her own consituency.

Poor and poorly populated, elections in the region are usually decided on economic matters. But this one was fought solely on the chancellor's immigration programme which has seen more than a million refugees settle in the country in a year.

One in two voters said they were casting their ballot because of the migrant issue and nothing else. After her defeat the AfD lead candidate Leif-Erik Holm called it a 'proud result for a young party.

After her defeat the AfD lead candidate Leif-Erik Holm (right) called it a 'proud result for a young party'

'The icing on the cake is that we have left Merkel's CDU behind us... maybe that is the beginning of the end of Merkel's time as chancellor.'

The result now places the AfD in nine out of 16 state parliaments in Germany with eyes on an even greater prize - seats in the national legislature when the general election is fought in the autumn of 2017.

Mrs. Merkel's decision to open Germany up to unregulated immigration has left some feeling fearful. Now her own parties - the CDU and her CSU allies in Bavaria, are turning on her.

NUMBER OF MIGRANTS ON BENEFITS IN GERMANY UP 169% The number of migrants claiming German welfare benefits soared by 169 percent last year, data showed on Monday, a figure likely to further boost anti-immigrant groups such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which performed well in a weekend election. Around 975,000 migrants were receiving benefits in accordance with the Act on Benefits for Asylum Seekers at the end of 2015, the Federal Statistics Office said. That marked the sixth consecutive yearly rise and compared with 363,000 in 2014. The leap followed Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision a year ago to open Germany's door to refugees fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere. Germany took in more than one million people, though the inflow has fallen sharply in recent months due to tighter European border controls and a repatriation deal with Turkey. Monday's data include migrants with temporary residence permits and those who cannot be deported for the time being. They do not include those with refugee status or those entitled to asylum, who receive social benefits if they need help. The German chancellor is under renewed pressure to U-turn on her controversial 'open door' refugee policy after her conservative CDU party was hammered into third place in a the election in her home state on Sunday While many Germans gave migrants a warm welcome when they started arriving in droves last summer, that has partly given way to fear after three recent violent attacks on civilians carried out by migrants and to concerns about integration. Bolstered by such anxiety, the AfD took second place in Sunday's election in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ahead of Merkel's centre-right Christian Democrats. The AfD is now represented in nine of Germany's 16 regional parliaments. State spending on benefits for migrants climbed by around 120 percent in 2015 to almost 5.3 billion euros, the data showed. The scale of state aid for migrants has angered many Germans, particularly in the poorer eastern regions, but on Saturday Merkel stressed the government had not slashed benefits for anyone in order to provide for refugees. Almost two-thirds of the benefit recipients came from Asia, with half of this group coming from Syria, the data showed. Another 22 percent hailed from European countries such as Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, which are all outside the European Union, while 13 percent came from Africa. Of the migrants who received aid, 91 percent got basic benefits such as food, accommodation, clothing and health as well as durable and non-durable household items - mainly provided as benefits in kind, although they did get some cash for personal needs as well. Advertisement

CDU general secretary Peter Tauber said Sunday's results were 'bitter', adding: 'Voters wanted to send a signal of protest, as we had noticed in discussions about refugees'.

'There was only one issue, that is, and was, refugee policy,' said the CDU's main candidate Lorenz Caffier. 'The migration policy has sparked a feeling of insecurity among people.'

CSU finance minister Markus Söder said; 'It is no longer possible for the chancellor to ignore the views of the people on this issue. This was a wake up call that Berlin needs to change tack.'

Mrs. Merkel, in China for the G20 meeting, has still refused to confirm whether she will stand for a fourth term in office in the election next year

Andreas Scheuer, CSU secretary general, described the poll result as 'devastating' adding; The CSU is pointing in the right direction. We need a cap on refugee numbers, expedited repatriation processes, an expansion of the list of nations deemed to be safe countries of origin, and better integration measures.

'The AfD had seized the opportunity to exploit Merkel's dwindling support. We can't simply give in and watch how a party built on attracting protest voters profits from the failures of the federal government in Berlin.'

The AfD was founded in 2013 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise thanks to the refugee crisis. Its leader Frauke Petry called earlier this year for border police to have the right to shoot illegal immigrants on Germany's border - remarks which did little to diminish the party's standing.

Mrs Merkel, in China for the G20 meeting, has still refused to confirm whether she will stand for a fourth term in office in the election next year.

JEWISH LEADERS' HORROR AFTER EXTREME-RIGHT SUCCESS Germany's Jewish leaders have reacted with horror to the success of the AfD in the weekend election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. 'That an extreme-right party which blatantly incites hatred against minorities in a disgusting way can rise unhindered in our country is a nightmare come true,' said Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria. 'The AfD is an openly far-right party. It is pathetic when a party - in which xenophobia, antisemitism, racism, homophobia, historical denialism and conspiracy theories are the basis for argument - can become such a strong social and political influence.' Knobloch warned that, in collaboration with other far-right parties, the AfD had the strength to threaten Germany's democratic foundations. Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, also expressed concern saying: 'Clearly many voters are not aware or play down the fact that the AfD do not clearly distance themselves from right-wing extremists, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or anywhere else in the country.' AfD party leader Frauke Petry announced that 'Merkel has brought herself down,' adding: 'The Chancellor and the SPD are leading German citizens on, whether it be in the financial crisis or the refugee crisis. The main political parties are involved in surrendering this country.' Advertisement

Merkel has taken a share of the responsibility for her party's election defeat, but strongly defended her migrant policy on Monday even as she vowed to win back voters' trust.

Merkel conceded the outcome was 'almost entirely about federal political issues.'

'We must all consider how we can now win back trust, me first and foremost,' Merkel told reporters on the sidelines of the Group of 20 in China.

'I am the party leader, I am the chancellor - you can't separate those in people's eyes, so I am of course responsible too' for the result, Merkel said. 'However, I believe the decisions that have been made were right, and now we must continue working.'