Angela Merkel's party gets its ass kicked in North Rhine-Westphalia elections [View all]

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MADRID (MarketWatch) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a big defeat in an election in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday, according to media reports. The center-left Social Democrats won 38.9% of the vote, allowing the party to form a majority with the Greens, in elections in the country's most populus state, according to exit polls. Merkel's Christian Democrats, however, saw their support drop to 26.3% from nearly 35% in 2010, which Reuters said was the worst result since World War 2. The elections are considered by many to an indicator of voters' broader intentions ahead of next year's general elections.


http://www.marketwatch.com/story/germanys-merkel-suffers-loss-in-state-election-2012-05-14?dist=beforebell