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The Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Green coalition, led by Stephan Weil, has won regional elections in Lower Saxony, obtaining one seat more than the outgoing coalition between the Christian-Democrat CDU and the liberals of the FDP. The result is another regional defeat for the parties of Angela Merkel’s coalition. However, with 9.9 per cent of the vote, the FDP will guarantee Merkel’s political survival until federal elections next September.