German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party and its coalition allies have been defeated in regional elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. Final results of yesterday's vote showed Mrs. Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) winning in 67 seats in the state legislature and their Free Democrat (FDP) allies 13 seats. <br/><br/>The Social Democrats (SPD), Germany's main opposition party, also won 67 seats, while the Greens won 23 and the Left Party 11 seats. <br/><br/>The sharp fall in support for Mrs. Merkel's party means her national coalition will lose its slim majority in the upper house of parliament.<br/><br/>North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state and home to 18 million people, is in the country's industrial heartland and regarded as a weathervane for national politics.<br/>