Church bells rang out in the German city of Magdeburg exactly 24 hours after authorities say a man drove into a busy Christmas market, killing five people and injuring 200 others.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right bloc is claiming momentum for the election in September that will choose Germany’s next leader after a larger-than-expected win in the last regional ballot before the nation votes.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives batted away a challenge from the far right in a state election Sunday that was seen as the last big test for Germany’s political parties before a national vote in September.

Voters in Saxony-Anhalt are going to the polls to elect a new state assembly in what is seen as the last big test for Germany’s political parties before a national election in September.