Berlin — German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party decisively won an election in Germany’s most populous state, according to projections, handing her Social Democratic opponents a humiliating defeat and further boosting her momentum as she seeks a fourth term in September. Merkel’s Christian Democrats took about 34% of the vote on Sunday in the industrial heartland of North Rhine-Westphalia, home to about a fifth of German voters, to less than 31% for the SPD, according to projections by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. With their Green coalition partners slumping to 6%, the SPD was voted out in the state for only the second time in the past 50 years. Support for the pro-market Free Democrats rose to about 12%. The result, if confirmed, is a resounding confirmation for Merkel, 62, as she seeks re-election, and boost her standing before a series of international summits starting this month, including meetings with US President Donald Trump. She is due to host French President Emmanuel ...
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