Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party suffered setback in a key German regional election

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party lost a key regional election. The Lower Saxony contest is viewed as a test of Merkel’s chances for winning a third term in office in September federal elections. In an extremely tight contest, the rival Social Democratic party and Green party allies secured a one-seat majority in the state parliament in Hanover over Merkel’s CDU and its allies.