German Chancellor Angela Merkel is playing damage control in an attempt to contain the latest humiliating losses for her coalition of political parties.

But the poor showing at the regional election in Bavaria over the weekend means her administration is probably heading for more instability anyway.

A regional conservative party that's normally a powerhouse called the Christian Social Union that backs Merkel saw their worst results in 70 years.

And a larger leftist party that also backs her, the Social Democrats, lost half their clout.

Reuters Paul Carrel in Berlin: (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) PAUL CARREL SAYING: ''Although this outcome doesn't look great for the coalition, what is does show that the CSU kind of got it wrong with its lurch to the right, which it made it try and head of the rise of the anti-immigrant AFD that didn't pay off and it turned off it's more liberal supporters.'' Instead the polls saw the pro-immigration Greens come second and the far-right Alternative for Germany (the AFD) enter the state assembly for the first time, which suggests that Merkel's grip on the country may be loosening.

But the Chancellor remained defiant on Monday.

(SOUNDBITE) (GERMAN) ANGELA MERKEL SAYING: ''My lesson from this is that I, as chancellor, must make sure that trust is won back.

I will work on that with as much vigour as I can,'' Polls suggest that the ruling parties will again be punished in two weeks' time in an election in the western state of Hesse.

They are expected to lose voters - again to the AFD and the Greens.