Merz’s CDU finishes first as AfD surges to third place
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won the largest share of the vote in local elections in Lower Saxony on Sept. 13, according to preliminary official results released on Sept. 14.
In Lower Saxony's local elections on September 13, Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) secured the highest percentage of votes, receiving 27.2%, according to preliminary official results released on September 14. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) came in second with 24.6% of the vote. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) finished third, more than tripling its 4.6% share from the 2021 local elections, with 15.9% of the vote.
The Green Party garnered 14.1%, while the Left Party received 6%. The liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) finished with 3.7%. Voter turnout was 64.6%, up from 57% in 2021. The elections decided representatives for over 2,000 local bodies, including district, city, and municipal councils, as well as mayoral and district administrator races.
Four AfD candidates running for senior local offices were disqualified due to concerns about their commitment to Germany's democratic order. Lower Saxony's domestic intelligence agency has been monitoring the AfD branch due to evidence of activities against the nation's democratic order. The CDU's victory comes a week after the AfD secured a state election in Saxony-Anhalt, a significant blow to Merz's party.
Merz described the political landscape's shift as "tectonic" and acknowledged a "dramatic defeat" for his party. The AfD has also been leading pre-election polls in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where another state election is approaching. The Lower Saxony result offered some relief to Merz and the CDU, but the AfD's surge underscores the ongoing pressure on Germany's traditional parties.
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