Center-right CDU wins big in state election in Germany

EMILY SCHULTHEIS
Associated Press
VIENNA (AP) — Projections indicate that Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union has won a clear victory in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. Sunday’s vote for the state legislature offered a test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrat-led coalition government amid its handling of the war in Ukraine. The vote was a bright spot for the Union bloc, which has suffered losses in recent months. Compared with five years ago, the Union and the Greens on Sunday made significant gains while the Social Democrats sustained heavy losses. It’s been a turbulent few months for Scholz, who took office in December at the head of a three-party coalition government. He has faced criticism by Ukraine for being too slow to respond to Russia’s aggression.