German Election: Another decisive victory for Merkel on Sunday’s regional election

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won a decisive and a surprise victory on Sunday in a regional election in Germany’s most populous state, which is sure to give a morale boost ahead of Germany’s general election later this year.  The CDU seized control of North-Rhine Westphalia from their rival the Social Democrats (SPD), which is a major setback for the Martin Schultz who is running in September as an SPD candidate in a bid to oust Angela Merkel from Chancellorship.

According to the initial estimate, the CDU is set to get 33 percent of all votes, which is 7 points higher compared to the performance in the last election in 2012. The Social Democrats have delivered their worst possible result in their traditional stronghold. Their share of votes declined to 31.5 percent from 39 percent in the last election.

After consecutive wins in all three of this year’s regional elections, it is apparently clear that the CDU leader and the current German Chancellor Angela Merkel is heading to become the longest serving chancellor of Germany by winning in September.