BERLIN (Reuters) - If Angela Merkel's conservatives draw any lesson from the latest election setback in Lower Saxony state for her bid for a third term as chancellor, it is this: don't bet that her popularity will automatically translate into votes.
Encouraged by half-Scottish state premier David McAllister's confident campaign, Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) thought they could afford to give supporters tacit approval to split their ballots to save their struggling Free Democrat (FDP) allies.
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