[MUNICH] Angela Merkel’s allies swept to victory in a state election in Bavaria on Sunday, regaining the absolute assembly majority they lost in 2008 and providing a show of conservative strength for the chancellor before Germany goes to the polls this weekend.

The Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party of Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), won 49 per cent according to TV projections, putting them back more firmly in the saddle of the prosperous southern state they have governed for 56 years.

But the Bavarian ballot also delivered a worrying message for Mrs Merkel, as the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), with whom she governs Germany in a centre-right coalition, slumped to just 3 per cent, below the 5 per cent level needed for assembly seats.

“The CSU is a people’s party and we are deeply rooted in the Bavarian population. Every second Bavarian voted for us,” state premier Horst Seehofer told supporters – fulfilling a pledge to Mrs Merkel that his party would help set an upbeat tone for the national poll on Sept 22.