Germany’s Conservatives on Track to Win Key State Vote

State Minister of Construction Ina Scharrenbach and supporters of North Rhine Westfalia's Prime Minister and CDU's top candidate Hendrik Wuest react at the CDU election party after polls haven been closed for North Rhine Westfalia's (NRW) state election in Duesseldorf, Germany, on May 15, 2022. Leon Kuegeler/Reuters

BERLIN—Germany’s conservative CDU party was on track to win a regional election in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) on Sunday, but the Green party could emerge as “kingmaker” in a potential coalition with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats and the FDP.

An exit poll by infratest dimap, published by broadcaster ARD, had the CDU taking 35.7 percent of votes, while the Social Democrats were on 27.0 percent.