The opposition Social Democrats and Greens eked out a victory Sunday in a neck-and-neck state election in Germany, robbing Chancellor Angela Merkel of the convincing victory she had hoped for in the run-up to this year's national election, dpa reported.
According to projections by Germany's ARD and ZDF public television stations, the SPD and Green Party have won 69 seats in Lower Saxony, while the governing Christian Democrats and Free Democrats retained 68 seats.