UPDATE - Merkel’s ally suffers defeat in Bavarian election

UPDATED PROJECTIONS, ADDS MORE DETAILS, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) suffered a heavy blow in regional elections in Bavaria on Sunday, according to projections by public broadcaster ARD.

The CSU, which has governed Bavaria almost continuously since 1946, only managed to win 35.2 percent, a significant fall from the 47.7 percent the party scored in the last election in 2013.

It was the second-worst result for the Bavarian conservatives since the end of World War II, also showing that the CSU would lose a majority in the state parliament.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) also suffered heavy losses on Sunday, drawing only 9.8 percent of the vote, less than half of its 20.6 percent showing five years ago.

The environmentalist, pro-immigration Green Party scored a record 18.6 percent, up from 9.8 percent in the last election, and became the second-largest group in the state parliament.

The moderate right Free Voters of Bavaria came in third with 11.5 percent.

Projections showed the Islamophobic, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) winning 11 percent of the vote, thereby entering the Bavarian parliament for the first time.