Merkelism without Merkel: Green hopes high before German state vote
by Philip Oltermann in Berlin from on (#5F8BZ)
Pragmatic state premier with flat-top ahead in polls as CDU faces defeat in country's south-west
Winfried Kretschmann, a white-haired former biology teacher who has been the state premier of Baden-Wurttemberg since 2011, can look forward to this Sunday's elections in his wealthy corner of south-west Germany with ease.
In the home state of Daimler, Porsche and Bosch, he has not just won the support of the metal and electronics industry, but that of conservative voters, 65% of whom have in surveys expressed their wish for the 72-year-old Catholic to retain his office.
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