German Political Shifts Leave Merkel's Legacy Hanging in Balance

The poor fortunes of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party in last weekend's EU parliamentary elections present the latest challenge to her hard-earned legacy.

Where it stands: Although Merkel’s coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), are in free fall, her popularity has helped the political center hold in Germany much better than in other EU countries. But now the contagion of populist forces and smaller parties that has overrun establishment parties across Europe is also threatening Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).

Details: The SPD's paltry 15.8 percent of the German vote in EU parliamentary elections on Sunday revealed it to be at an existential crossroads. But the CDU's decline in support offered its own wake-up call.