BERLIN: German Cha-ncellor Angela Merkel’s party was in the lead yesterday after the first state poll of a general election year, initial results showed, but the race for a ruling coalition rested on a knife-edge.
Preliminary results from Lower Saxony on public television showed Merkel’s Christian Democrats leading with around 36 percent and their current coalition partners, the Free Democrats, with about 10 percent. The Social Democrats had about 32 percent and their favoured allies the Greens 13 percent.
Detailed figures pointed to a wafer-thin lead for the incumbent centre-right, the same coalition with which Merkel governs in Berlin.
But the cliffhanger campaign was due to develop throughout the night as results trickle in, determining which coalition will come out on top eight months before a national election that will decide if Merkel wins a third term.
The Christian Democrats (CDU) were down from their 42.5 percent score at the last election in 2008 but appeared to benefit from the popularity of state premier David McAllister, a half-Scot seen as a potential Merkel successor. AFP
