Preliminary results

SPD: 36.5% (+0.3%) CDU: 26.2% (-4.5%) Schill: 19.4% (+19.4%) Greens: 8.5% (-5.4%) FDP: 5.1% (+1.6%) Others: 4.3% (-11.4%)

The Law-and-Order Party led by a right-wing judge, Ronald Schill, has come from nowhere to win 19.4% of the vote in the city, according to preliminary results.

If Mr Schill were tp team up with the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) they would have control of 64 of the state parliament's 121 seats, pushing the Social Democrats (SPD) into opposition in the city for the first time in 44 years.

While the SPD held on to its share of the vote with 36.5%, its long-time coalition partners, the Greens, saw their results plummet, dropping 5.4% to 8.5%.

Schill factor

Mr Schill, who is known as Judge Merciless for his tough stance against those in the dock, fought his campaign solely on the issue of law and order.

Judge Schill won a reputation for harsh court sentences

His pledges included 2,000 extra police officers in the city and the break up of a "cartel of young judges unwilling to impose penalties".

Other policies include forcing drug dealers to vomit and castrating sex offenders.

The CDU has already agreed a coalition in principle with Judge Schill.

The BBC's Rob Broomby says that the CDU's disappointing performance in the city may mean it adopts some of the judge's policies at a federal level, now that Hamburg has shown there is a popular appetite for a more right-wing rhetoric.

Will Hamburg be the great liberal city or will it have Schill and get an image that is linked to this man?

SPD Secretary-General Franz Muentefering

But it is the FDP which will be the kingmaker - something of a turnaround after it failed to enter parliament completely at the last election in Hamburg, Germany's second largest city.

The SPD's secretary-general, Franz Muentefering, warned the FDP against doing deals with the judge.

"The FDP must make up their minds on what government they want in Hamburg," he said.

"Will Hamburg be the great liberal city or will it have Schill and get an image that is linked to this man?"

But the liberals have already ruled out a coalition with the SPD and Judge Schill has clearly struck a chord in a city dubbed "Crime Capital" by the influential Stern magazine.