Source: The Local

Angela Merkel with Saarland state premier Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. Photo: DPA.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party easily won a regional election on Sunday, dealing an early blow to centre-left hopes of ending her more than decade-long reign.
In the Saarland state vote held six months before a general election, Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) won 40 percent against 30 percent for the Social Democrats (SPD), according to early results by public broadcasters.
The result spelt a five-point boost for the CDU over the SPD, which has served as the unhappy junior partner to the conservatives in so-called grand coalitions at both the state and national levels.
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