Merz's CDU suffers narrow defeat in key German state election

• Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered a narrow defeat in the Baden-Württemberg state election.
• The environmentalist Greens, led by Cem Ozdemir, secured a come-from-behind victory with 30.2% of the vote, just ahead of CDU's 29.7%.
• This marks a disappointing start for Merz's party in a year packed with German state elections.
• The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) nearly doubled its support to 18.8%, while Social Democrats lost half their support.
• Ozdemir, set to be Germany's first state governor with Turkish roots, focused on the Greens' conservative image in the industrial region.