Germany looks set to hold a national election within a few months after Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder called for an early vote after a crushing regional poll defeat.
Mr Schroeder's shock announcement came after voters in the large regional state of North Rhine-Westphalia ousted his Social Democrats (SPD) from government after 39 years.
"With the bitter election result for my party in North Rhine-Westphalia, political support for our reforms to continue has been called into question," a shaken-looking Mr Schroeder told German television.
"I see it as my responsibility and duty as German chancellor to persuade the president . . . to call new elections for the Bundestag as quickly as possible, realistically by autumn 2005."
The call for a new election carries enormous risks for Mr Schroeder, who has seen his personal ratings plunge as unemployment has surged to post-war highs.
In an instant survey conducted by ARD television on last night, for example, 46 per cent of respondents said they would vote for the CDU and 29 per cent for the SPD.
Voters appeared to be punishing him for the fact that his painful welfare cutbacks have produced little or no visible gain. But he will hope to convince them that the plans of the conservatives, who have largely supported his reforms, will be even more painful.