Supporters of Stephan Weil, incumbent Social Democratic Party (SPD) federal state Premier of Lower Saxony react after first election projections for the Lower Saxony elections were published on TV in Hanover, Germany, October 9, 2022./ REUTERS
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) looked set to win a regional election in the northern state of Lower Saxony on Sunday in a boost to the leader as he steers the country through an array of crises.
An exit poll by state broadcaster ZDF put the SPD at 32.5% of the vote, compared to 27.5% for the conservatives of former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The environmental Greens and the pro-business FDP parties scored 14.5% and 5% respectively.