CDU candidate Katharina Reinhold triumphs in district elections!

CDU candidate Katharina Reinhold triumphs in district elections!

Local elections took place in North Rhine-Westphalia on September 14, 2025, in which around 13.7 million eligible voters were able to take part. The polling stations were open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the first forecasts were expected from 7 p.m., which caused a few surprises. Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst noted that the CDU successfully won the election and established itself as the “number one local party”. A pleasing result that at the same time makes you think, especially with regard to the increasing influence of the AfD, which landed at 16.5 percent, as [WDR] reports.

The CDU was able to achieve 34 percent of the vote, which represents a slight decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared to the 2020 election, but is still a good result for the party overall. The SPD had to accept a decline of 1.8 percent to 22.5 percent, while the Greens saw a significant decline of 8.5 percent to 11.5 percent. The AfD is completely different: the right-wing populist party was able to increase by 11.4 percent and thus left a lasting impression.

The runoff election in Rein

There is a particularly exciting result in the Rhine district of Neuss, where the CDU candidate Katharina Reinhold was welcomed in the district meeting room today at 7:45 p.m. She received applause and flowers after announcing that she had won the majority in the district election with 45.9 percent of the vote. However, since an absolute majority was not achieved, a runoff election is scheduled for September 28th to determine the successor to the previous incumbent Hans-Jürgen Petrauschke, who already had to do a victory lap in the 2020 local elections, as [RP Online] reports.

After the results, Hans-Jürgen Petrauschke said that he was of the opinion that runoff elections should not be held, a position that is particularly explosive in the context of the decision to abolish runoff elections in 2009, which was overturned by a constitutional court. It remains to be seen how another election round in Reinhold will develop, after all this time there are six candidates who are vying for the voters' favor.

Voter turnout higher than it has been since 1994

Voter turnout this year was an impressive 58.5 percent and is the highest since 1994. This shows that citizens are interested in local issues and are ready to cast their vote. Many voters had already voted by postal vote before the election, which contributed to the high turnout.

A brief analysis of the results shows that the CDU currently has around 170 mayors and mayors, while the SPD has 80 mayors and 13 mayors. The Greens have 16 town hall bosses, the FDP has three mayors, and the AfD and the Left have no municipal bosses.

In conclusion, it can be said that the 2025 local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia show some clear trends and are already triggering initial discussions about future political strategies. While the CDU was able to assert itself in many municipalities, the other parties have to rethink their approaches in order not to lose out in the upcoming elections. The political discussions will certainly continue in the coming weeks.