Germany's conservatives on track to win vote in northern state

FILE PHOTO: Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks as she hands over the chancellery to her successor, newly appointed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, December 8, 2021. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's conservatives look set to come first in a regional election in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday in a boost to former Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, which was ousted from national government in federal elections last year.

The Christian Democrats (CDU) have a big lead in polls in the state, whose nearly 3 million residents account for roughly 3.5% of Germany's population.