GERMANY - The drubbing of the mainstream parties in Bavaria's election didn't come as a surprise. But the outcome could have serious repercussions for Germany's political landscape. The repercussions could also be dramatic for Merkel. Another state election is just around the corner, in two weeks time in Hesse, where her CDU ally Volker Bouffier is facing a battle to stay on as state premier. The latest polls show that the CDU could struggle to break the 30 percent barrier, compared to the 38.3 percent it won in Hesse's last election in 2013. If the party's free fall continues on October 28, Merkel will very likely face calls from within her party not to run again as party leader at the CDU's party conference in December.