Merz faces another test on Sunday when the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate goes to the polls, the second of five regional ballots this year. Polls show a tightening race in Rhineland-Palatine, with the Christian Democratic Union’s once-solid lead over the SPD shrinking as the ballot draws nearer. Merz’s conservatives had 29% support, two percentage points ahead of the SPD, according to a March 19 poll for ZDF.







