Polls: left-leaning alliance could oust Merkel's conservatives in Saarland

Saarbruecken, Germany

WHEN voters head to the polls in the German state of Saarland later this month, they are likely to deliver an upset to Chancellor Angela Merkel that could be a foretaste of September's national election.

One of Germany's smallest states, Saarland is - like federal Germany - governed by a "grand coalition" of Mrs Merkel's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD).