Merkel suffers loss in election: exit poll

German Chancellor Angela Merkel8217;s conservatives suffered an embarrassing loss of support in elections in her home state today,exit polls suggested,but they could still cling on to a share of power.

According to exit polls released by television channel ARD,Merkel8217;s Christian Democrats mustered 24.0 per cent of the vote in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania,a decline on the 28.8 per cent they won in 2006.