Landslide in local elections: CDU triumphs – AfD celebrates record growth!

Landslide in local elections: CDU triumphs – AfD celebrates record growth!

The local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia took place on September 15, 2025, and the results show that the political landscape in Germany's most populous state has shaken significantly. Around 13.7 million eligible voters were called upon to cast their votes, and they not only elected new mayors and mayors, but also numerous members of city and local councils as well as district councils. A variety of decisions were made in a total of 396 cities and municipalities, 31 districts and in the Ruhr Parliament.

The CDU won the election with 34.2%, but suffered a very small loss of 0.1% compared to 2020. ZDF reports that Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst sees this as proof of valuable work and describes the CDU as the “number one local party”. “The issues of poverty migration and social systems must be addressed now,” said Wüst. The SPD is the second strongest force with 22.6% and has therefore recorded a decline of 1.7%. Bärbel Bas, the chairwoman of the SPD and Federal Minister of Labor, is cautious: She does not see the results as a “disaster,” but emphasizes that people need to feel improvements.

Results and effects

However, the big winner of the election is the AfD, which entered the race as the third strongest party with 16.4% - an increase of 11.3%. AfD federal chairman Chrupalla described the election as a “great success” for his party and increasingly sees it as a people’s party that bears responsibility for Germany. Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn took this as an opportunity to interpret the results as a strengthening of the black-red coalition in the federal government, although he also warned that the growth of the extreme right must be taken seriously.

The Greens, on the other hand, are experiencing a significant decline and fall to 11.5%, which corresponds to a minus of 8.3%. At 3.4%, the FDP is also worse off than before (minus 2.2%). A bright spot for the Left is its rise to 5.4% (plus 1.6%), indicating a slow recovery. The AfD's growth is particularly noticeable among voters aged 35 to 59, while the CDU currently appeals primarily to voters over 40 and this age group is also strongly represented in the SPD.

Special features of the election process

A special feature of this election was the crowds at the polling stations, which steadily increased throughout the day. For many it was also a first, as 16-year-olds were allowed to take part for the first time. However, a tragic event overshadowed the election in Krefeld: an elderly man collapsed in a polling station and died. Such moments make it clear that despite the election campaigns, life goes on and unexpected events leave their mark even in the electoral process.

These local elections are not only seen as the first mood test after the federal election, but also show the needs of the voters. The most important issue for voters was the economic situation, and the result underlined the need for political exchange and engagement. Felix Banaszak of the Greens noted that the centrist parties are dissatisfied with the outcome and that it is time to reshape the political landscape.

How the political framework conditions will develop in the coming months remains to be seen. What is certain, however, is that the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia are not only putting the parties to a tough test, but also the voters.