AfD Mayor Losses in NRW Cities
mainstream Parties Hold Ground in North Rhine-Westphalia Runoffs, AfD Shut Out of Mayoralties
North Rhine-Westphalia, germany – In a closely watched series of municipal election runoffs held this past Sunday, mainstream parties largely maintained their grip on power in Germany’s most populous state. While the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a party flagged by the Civil Secret Service as demonstrably right-wing extremist, saw gains in the first round, they failed to secure any of the three mayoral positions they contested.
The elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, which saw nearly 14 million voters heading to the polls over two rounds, were seen as a crucial bellwether for the political climate in Germany. The first round, held two weeks prior, allowed citizens to choose their mayors and representatives for urban, municipal, district, and regional councils. When no candidate achieved a majority,Sunday’s runoffs determined the final outcome.
chancellor friedrich Merz and his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) celebrated a strong showing in the first round, securing 33.3% of the vote. The Social Democrats (SPD), partners with the CDU in the federal government, followed with 22.1%. While both parties experienced slight dips compared to the 2020 municipal elections, the AfD saw a meaningful surge in support, jumping from 5% to 14.5%.
This momentum fueled the AfD’s hopes of capturing mayoralties in Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen, and Hagen. Gelsenkirchen, a city grappling with Germany’s highest unemployment rate (over 15%), was a particular focus after the AfD won one of the two districts in the February early parliamentary elections. However, SPD candidate Andrea Henzeová ultimately prevailed, securing the mayor’s office.
Incumbent SPD mayor Sören Link successfully defended his position in Duisburg, while CDU candidate Dennis Rehbein emerged victorious in Hagen. The high voter turnout in these three cities underscored the significance of these races.
Beyond the AfD’s performance, the elections also saw notable shifts in other key cities. In Dortmund, the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, CDU candidate Alexander Omar Kalouti broke nearly 80 years of Social Democratic control, marking a significant victory for the conservatives. The CDU also secured the mayor’s office in Düsseldorf, the state capital, while the SPD retained control in Cologne, the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Sunday’s runoffs conclude a busy election year in Germany. Looking ahead, March will bring elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as municipal elections in Bavaria and Hesse. September will see land elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and [article incomplete].