Heavy defeat for Scholz's SPD in German regional vote

Exit polls from a regional vote in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday showed Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) lagging badly behind the conservative CDU.

Surveys published after polling stations closed at 6:00 pm put the conservatives on around 35 percent, with the SPD on around 28 percent -- a result that would be its worst ever in the state.

The drubbing comes amid criticism for Scholz over his stance on the war in Ukraine, especially his perceived hesitancy to provide heavy weapons to help it resist Russia's invasion.

North-Rhine Westphalia is a prosperous industrial hub and Germany's most populous state with some 13 million eligible voters and around a quarter of the population.

The state is home to major cities Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Essen and Dortmund, and the result will be seen as a key indicator of the political mood in Germany.

North Rhine-Westphalia's last election in 2017 saw the CDU under Armin Laschet triumph with around 33 percent of the vote, while the SPD finished on 31.2 percent. 

Laschet went on to replace Angela Merkel as the leader of the party before losing to Scholz in the race to become chancellor last year.

The CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia is now led by moderate Hendrik Quest, 46.

Scholz had played a prominent role in the election campaign but his involvement appears to have done nothing to help SPD candidate Thomas Kutschaty, 53.