Angela Merkel coalition suffered a painful blow

Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition suffered a painful blow in a regional election in Berlin on Sunday, early results showed, amid voter anger over the German leader's handling of the eurozone debt crisis, the Telegraph reports.

Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) were beaten into second place in the poll, albeit with a slight rise in support compared to previous elections in 2006.

Berlin's popular and colourful Social Democrat mayor, Klaus Wowereit, secured 28.3 per cent of the vote, according to early provisional results, meaning he must now choose a coalition partner.

Merkel's CDU won 23.4 per cent, a gain in comparison to the 21.3 per cent they gained five years ago in the left-leaning German capital.

The ecologist Green party, which has seen its popularity gain steadily since Japan's Fukushima catastrophe in March due to their anti-nuclear stance, clinched 17.6 per cent.