German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives defeated their center-left rivals in a key state election Sunday in the country's most populous region.

Exit polls showed Merkel's Christian Democratic Union with a strong surge of support in North Rhine-Westphalia, the home state and traditional stronghold of her chief rival, Social Democrat Martin Schulz, who is challenging the German leader in the national election in late September.

Schulz conceded Sunday's loss, saying, "This is a difficult day for the Social Democrats, a difficult day for me personally as well. I come from the state in which we took a really stinging defeat today." He urged his party to focus on the September 24 vote.

The exit polls showed the Christian Democrats winning 34.5 percent of the vote in North Rhine-Westphalia, home to 17.9 million people, nearly a quarter of the German population, with the Social Democrats at 30.5 percent. Other parties trailed far behind the two leaders.

德国总理默克尔的保守派政党星期天在德国人口最多地区一次关键的州级选举中，击败中左对手。

投票站出口民调显示，默克尔的基民盟在北莱茵-威斯特法伦州的选举中，获得强有力支持。该州是她的主要对手、社民党的马丁·舒尔兹的家乡州和传统的大本营。舒尔兹将在今年9月底的德国大选中挑战默克尔。

舒尔兹承认星期天的失利，表示“对于社民党和我本人来说，这是艰难的一天。我来自这个州，今天我们在这里遭遇了惨痛挫败”。他敦促其政党集中精力打好9月24日的选战。

投票站出口民调显示，基民盟在北莱茵-威斯特法伦州赢得了百分之34.5的选票，社民党获得百分之30.5的选票。该州人口1790万，占德国总人口的近四分之一。其他政党得票率远远落在这两大政党之后。

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives defeated their center-left rivals in a key state election Sunday in the country's most populous region.

Exit polls showed Merkel's Christian Democratic Union with a strong surge of support in North Rhine-Westphalia, the home state and traditional stronghold of her chief rival, Social Democrat Martin Schulz, who is challenging the German leader in the national election in late September.

Schulz conceded Sunday's loss, saying, "This is a difficult day for the Social Democrats, a difficult day for me personally as well. I come from the state in which we took a really stinging defeat today." He urged his party to focus on the September 24 vote.

The exit polls showed the Christian Democrats winning 34.5 percent of the vote in North Rhine-Westphalia, home to 17.9 million people, nearly a quarter of the German population, with the Social Democrats at 30.5 percent. Other parties trailed far behind the two leaders.

德国总理默克尔的保守派政党星期天在德国人口最多地区一次关键的州级选举中，击败中左对手。

投票站出口民调显示，默克尔的基民盟在北莱茵-威斯特法伦州的选举中，获得强有力支持。该州是她的主要对手、社民党的马丁·舒尔兹的家乡州和传统的大本营。舒尔兹将在今年9月底的德国大选中挑战默克尔。

舒尔兹承认星期天的失利，表示“对于社民党和我本人来说，这是艰难的一天。我来自这个州，今天我们在这里遭遇了惨痛挫败”。他敦促其政党集中精力打好9月24日的选战。

投票站出口民调显示，基民盟在北莱茵-威斯特法伦州赢得了百分之34.5的选票，社民党获得百分之30.5的选票。该州人口1790万，占德国总人口的近四分之一。其他政党得票率远远落在这两大政党之后。