BERLIN, May 22 (Xinhuanet) -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Sunday called for early elections after his Social Democratic Party (SPD) suffered a defeat in a legislative election in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state in Germany.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Sunday called for early national elections this autumn (Xinhua/Reuters)

    "It is my obligation and responsibility to call new elections as early as possible," Schroeder told reporters in Berlin.

    "My party's bitter defeat in North Rhine-Westphalia has raised questions over the political basis of our work," Schroeder said, noting "a clear majority of support by Germans is absolutely necessary."

    He said this autumn will be a realistic time for early elections, one year earlier than planned. He added he will consultwith German President Horst Koehler on the election date.

    The SPD netted only 37.1 percent of votes in Sunday's legislative elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, while the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) got 44.8 percent, according to latest official results.

    The Green Party, the SPD's junior partner in the coalition government, and the Free Democratic Party, partner of the CDU, gotsome 6.1 percent and 6.4 percent respectively.

    Thus the CDU and the Free Democratic Party will seize an absolute majority in the state parliament.

    But the call for early elections was a gamble as Schroeder and his SPD has seen a dramatic decline in support.

    In a survey conducted by the ARD television on Sunday night shortly after Schroeder's announcement, only about 29 percent of the respondents said they will vote for the SPD, with 46 percent for the CDU.

    The SPD had since 1966 rule North Rhine-Westphalia, a western state of 18 million people. The defeat was due to a high jobless rate, around 12 percent, and the voters' discontent with the government's economic reforms, analysts said.

    Schroeder unveiled a reform two years ago, including such policies as a cut of jobless benefits and stricter rules on means-testing for people long-term unemployed. The reform had aroused protests across the country.

    However, SPD Chairman Franz Muentefering listed the CDU's increased majority in the upper house of parliament, or the Bundesrat, as a reason for the SPD's loss.

    The SPD blames the conservative CDU, which controls the Bundesrat, for blocking the government's reform policies.

    Muentefering admitted the loss in North Rhine-Westphalia was a "bitter defeat," but pledging "Schroeder is the chancellor and thecandidate for chancellor," the ZDF television reported.

    Schroeder won his first election in 1998, was re-elected in 2002 and is seeking a third term.

    "The loss of North Rhine-Westphalia is an indication that Schroeder's hope for a third term is looking increasingly less likely," the German radio Deutsche Welle said.

    CDU leader Angela Merkel was excited at Sunday's victory. "The voters have given the Christian Democratic Union a sensational result today," Merkel told reporters.

    The result is likely to boost the chances that Merkel will run against Schroeder in national elections, and thus raises the prospect for a first woman German chancellor, local media said.

    The CDU is expected to choose its candidate to run for the national elections on May 30, and Merkel is widely viewed as the most hopeful. Enditem