German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacts at the beginning of a board meeting of the German Christian Democratic party in Berlin, Germany, Monday, May 7, 2012. Voters in Germany's northernmost state on Sunday ousted a governing center-right government made up of the same parties as Chancellor Angela Merkel's federal coalition, according to official results. For Merkel, the defeat of her local allies in Schleswig-Holstein state could be an omen of worse to come. Elections are due in North-Rhine Westphalia state _ the country's most populous with 18 million inhabitants _ where her party also risks losing power, according to recent polls. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)