Germany: Merz's CDU comes out on top in Lower Saxony polls
The Christian Democrats have emerged as the strongest party at local elections in the state of Lower Saxony. The vote was closely watched as an indicator of the strength of the far-right AfD, which came in third.
The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has maintained its position as the top political force at the district level in Lower Saxony following local elections, according to preliminary results released on Monday. These elections, which took place on Sunday, garnered significant attention as they were viewed as a measure of support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) following its decisive victory in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt last week.
The elections aimed to elect mayors, district administrations, and local councils across the state. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU secured the highest share of votes, garnering 27.2%, a slight decline from the 31.7% it achieved in the previous local elections in Lower Saxony in 2021. The Social Democrats (SPD), who form part of a coalition government at the state level, claimed the second position with 24.6% support, a notable drop from the 30% they received in 2021.
The AfD, which saw its support more than triple, came in third with 15.9%, compared to 15.9% in 2021. The Greens, the junior coalition partners at the state level, secured 14.1% of the votes, down from 15.9% in 2021. The Left party and the Free Democrats (FDP) rounded out the top five with 6% and 3.7% of the votes, respectively.
The elections saw a turnout of 64.6%, a significant increase from the 57% participation in the 2021 polls. With 6.3 million eligible voters, the elections served as a barometer of public sentiment ahead of state elections next year and as a gauge of the AfD's standing in western German states, where the far-right party has less support compared to the east.
The Lower Saxony polls occurred just a week before the upcoming state elections in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the city-state of Berlin. The vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is expected to draw especially close scrutiny, with the AfD anticipated to make strong gains while the CDU is projected to perform poorly, currently polling at just 7%.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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