Merkel's conservatives defeat SPD rivals in northern state vote
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BERLIN—Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives thumped their Social Democrat rivals in a vote in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday, in a boost to her prospects of winning a national election in September.
Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) fetched 33 percent of the vote in Schleswig-Holstein, up from 30.8 percent in the last election there in 2012, an exit poll for broadcaster ARD showed. The Social Democrats won 26 percent, down from 30.4 percent.
