Germany's conservatives lead in first exit poll in Schleswig-Holstein state

Supporters of Schleswig Holstein's Prime Minister and CDU's (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) top candidate Daniel Guenther react at the election party in Kiel, Germany, May 8, 2022. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

BERLIN (Reuters) - Former Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives (CDU) looked set to make a clear win a regional election in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday, in a boost to the party which was ousted from national government in federal elections last year.

An exit poll by ARD Tagesschau put the CDU at 43% of the vote, up 11 percentage points compared to the last vote, while the Social Democrats slumped to 15.5%.