CDU Results in Hessen Local Elections

Investigations have been launched in Frankfurt regarding potential manipulation of the local elections held on March 15, 2026. The Wiesbadener Kurier reported that authorities are examining the process, though further specific details regarding the nature of the alleged manipulation have not been released.

The elections, which took place across the state of Hesse, were held to elect members of 21 district councils and six independent city councils. A total of 2,563,598 people voted, resulting in a turnout of 54.3 percent.

CDU Maintains Dominance

The Christian Democrats (CDU) emerged as the strongest political force in the state, securing 29.8 percent of the popular vote. This represents a swing of 1.3 percent compared to the previous election. The party won 579 seats, an increase of 35 seats.

The CDU’s success was particularly evident in major urban centers and rural districts. The party topped the polls in six of the ten largest cities in Hesse, including:

• Frankfurt am Main
• Wiesbaden
• Gießen
• Marburg
• Fulda
• Rüsselsheim

Shifts in Party Influence

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) saw the most significant gains of the election cycle. The party’s vote share rose to 14.8 percent, a swing of 7.9 percent, allowing it to become the third strongest force in the state. The AfD won 294 seats, marking an increase of 162 seats from the previous election.

Despite these statewide gains, the AfD remained weak in urban areas. In Offenbach, the party scored 3.4 percent and it failed to reach 10 percent in several other major cities.

The Social Democrats (SPD) finished as the second strongest party with 20.8 percent of the vote, despite a 3.2 percent swing downward. However, the party won 428 seats, an increase of 48 seats. The SPD maintained strong influence in Hanau and Offenbach, where it secured 35 percent of the vote, but struggled in Fulda, where it managed only 9.2 percent.

The Greens experienced a decline in overall support, falling to 14.0 percent of the vote—a swing of 4.4 percent. The party lost 78 seats, finishing with 265. While the Greens retained their lead in Darmstadt and Kassel, their statewide position relative to the AfD became uncertain.

Urban Growth and Local Anomalies

The Left Party showed growth in urban centers, achieving double-digit results in five of the ten largest cities in Hesse. The party secured 5.7 percent of the vote and won 112 seats, an increase of 35.

In some smaller municipalities, local political traditions led to surprising results. The German Communist Party (DKP) made notable gains in pockets of the region, including Reinheim, Mörfelden-Walldorf, Marburg, and Gießen.

The most narrow contest occurred in Überau, a small village in southern Hesse. The SPD won the area with 38.1 percent of the vote, beating the DKP, which secured 35.6 percent, by a margin of just 2.5 percent.

Legislative and Procedural Changes

The 2026 elections were preceded by several legislative attempts to alter voting and seat allocation. In March 2025, The Greens proposed a bill in the Landtag of Hesse to lower the municipal voting age from 18 to 16. The bill was defeated in September 2025, with the CDU, AfD, and SPD voting against it, while The Greens and FDP voted in favor.

the CDU and SPD grand coalition in the Landtag of Hesse passed legislation to change the seat allocation method for municipal elections. The state shifted from the Hare/Niemayer method to the D’Hondt method. This change was intended to reduce the fragmentation of district councils by limiting the influence of many smaller parties.