Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives has risen to its highest level in two years in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, albeit on a par with its main opposition, a poll showed on Sunday. Voters in the state go to the polls on May 14 in what could be a bellwether for national elections in September. A strong showing for the CDU in the state could bode well for Merkel's bid to secure a fourth term. The latest poll showed a one-percentage point drop for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is poised to head further to the right after a controversial party congress in Cologne, in the heart of the state. The SPD party also lost support in a vote in the Saar state in March, compared with its results in 2012.

Source: The Star April 23, 2017 15:33 UTC