Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition was to face its second test in as many weeks Sunday when voters go to the polls in the western state of Hesse for a regional election that could torpedo the national government.
Should Volker Bouffier, Merkel's conservative ally in Hesse, lose his post as state premier, the chancellor's enemies will be emboldened ahead of her Christian Democrats' (CDU) congress in early December and may try to hasten her demise.
The other risk for Merkel is that her SPD coalition partners come third in Hesse, which is home to financial hub Frankfurt. Such an outcome would increase pressure from the SPD's rank-and-file for the party to pull out of the coalition with Merkel in Berlin.