It is the final state election in Germany before September’s federal contest, and it is in the biggest state, North Rhine-Westphalia.<br /><br /> Eighteen million people live here, and the Angela Merkel’s CDU is hoping to wrest control from the opposition SPD.<br /><br /> Armin Laschet wants to upset the left’s near-total postwar domination here but the SPD’s<br />Hannelaure Kraft has run the state for a long time. She faces criticism for traffic problems, crime, above-average unemployment and a creaking education system. <br /><br /> On the streets opinion seems divided when asked the question “what do you hope for?”<br /><br /> “A change at last. So that we can forget those 50 plus years that the SPD is in power,” said one older man.<br /><br /> “I want a strong SPD, CDU and FDP, because I think those are the parties that may actually be able to improve things,” said a younger man.<br /><br /> However it is the smaller parties of hard left and right that could get enough support to enter the local assembly, with the big two locked at around 30% each in opinion polls, and thus a share of coalition power.<br /><br /> Even being forced into power-sharing in its bastion represents a huge setback for the SPD, especially this close to the national vote.<br />
