Election In German State Of Hesse

Here are facts and background on the state and its vote.

A vote in the German state of Hesse on Sunday is likely to strengthen Chancellor Angela Merkel and her conservatives ahead of September's federal election.

Here are facts and background on the state and its vote.

STATE OF HESSE

- With a population of 6 million, the central state of Hesse is home to Germany's financial capital, Frankfurt. It is one of the country's most prosperous states.

- Hesse is home to carmaker Opel's Ruesselsheim plant which employs 18,000. Workers are worried about their future because of a slump in demand and concern about its parent company, General Motors <GM.N>. It is also a hub for suppliers.

- Since 1945, power has swung between Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD), who share power nationally. The CDU has ruled Hesse since 1999.

IMPLICATIONS OF VOTE

- Merkel will get a boost if, as polls predict, the CDU wins enough votes for a coalition with its desired partner, the liberal Free Democrats (FDP). That would send a signal to voters at the start of Germany's "super election year" which sees EU elections, four other state polls and September's federal vote.

- With a CDU-FDP coalition in Hesse, five of Germany's biggest states and more than two-thirds of the population in Europe's largest economy would be ruled by conservative-FDP alliances.

- A CDU-FDP coalition could end the conservative-SPD majority in the Bundesrat upper house, which comprises representatives from Germany's 16 states. That could make it harder for Merkel's federal coalition to push through laws opposed by the FDP. It also means President Horst Koehler, backed by the CDU, is more likely to be re-elected in May, which would be another psychological boost for the conservative camp.

- A strong result for the CDU would boost Koch, 50, within his party. A hardline conservative and leading figure on the right of the CDU, Koch is seen by some as a possible successor to Merkel. He has held power in Hesse since 1999.

- The far-left Left party will be closely watched to see whether it passes the 5 percent threshold again to enter the state parliament. It has become a force on the political scene since its formation 18 months ago, including in western areas.

RE-RUN

- Sunday's election, which has been dominated by the economic crisis, is a re-run of a vote last year which ended in a virtual dead heat after which neither the CDU nor SPD could form a coalition.

- Last January, voters punished Koch for running a campaign on crime and immigration which his foes said was xenophobic. His support plunged by 12 percent.

- In the end, however, the SPD was the bigger loser as it sank into a divisive row over whether to take power by relying on support from the Left party, loathed by many in the SPD.

POLLS/LAST RESULT

- One of the most recent polls, conducted by Forsa, put the CDU on 41 percent, the SPD on 24 percent, the FDP on 15 percent, Greens on 13 percent and the Left on 4 percent.

- In 2008, the CDU won 36.8 percent, the SPD 36.7 percent, the FDP 9.4 percent, the Greens 7.5 percent and Left 5.1 percent.