The Latest: Center-left incumbent leading German state vote | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Cloudy  5.0°C

The Latest: Center-left incumbent leading German state vote

In this Oct. 12, 2017 photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Christian Democrats' top candidate Bernd Althusmann, stand together on stage during an election campaign in Vechta, Germany. State election in Lower Saxony, one of Germany's most populous regions, are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, three weeks after a national election. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)

BERLIN - The Latest on the nationally significant election in Germany's Lower Saxony state (all times local):

6:10 p.m.

The centre-left Social Democrats are projected to win a vote in Germany's northern state of Lower Saxony.

Projections by public broadcaster ARD based on initial results put the Social Democrats of Lower Saxony's incumbent governor Stephan Weil ahead with 37.5 per cent of the vote. Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats had 35 per cent.

The Green Party was projected to receive 8.5 per cent of the vote, meaning its current coalition with the Social Democrats wouldn't have enough seats to form a new government.

The ARD forecasts show the free market FDP party with 7 per cent of the vote and the nationalist Alternative for Germany 5.5 per cent. If the numbers hold it will be turnaround for the Social Democrats, which lost three state elections and last month's national election in Germany.

___

11:50 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party is aiming to unseat the incumbent centre-left governor in Lower Saxony for a fourth straight victory in state elections this year.

Sunday's vote in the northern state was called after the ruling coalition between Social Democrats and Greens lost its one-seat majority in July.

Merkel's Christian Democrats were slightly behind in recent polls, a fact attributed partly to local party leader Bernd Althusmann's low profile compared to that of governor Stephan Weil.

About 6.1 million voters are called upon to vote in Lower Saxony, which has a large agriculture industry but is also home to German automaker Volkswagen.

Merkel's centre-right party came out top in last month's national election, but formal talks on forming a coalition were put on hold until after Lower Saxony's vote.

News from © The Associated Press, 2017
The Associated Press

  • Popular kelowna News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile