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North Rhine-Westphalia, AfD surges ahead: Greens collapse

First electoral test for Merz coalition: CDU stable, SPD down

In the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, local elections, the first test for the government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office in May, have resulted in a clear political shake-up. According to projections published by Bild, the CDU remains the leading party with 34% of the vote, down slightly by 0.3%, while the SPD falls to 22.5%, losing 1.8 points.

AfD on the rise, Greens flop
The far-right AfD achieved a historic result: 16.5% of the vote, up 11.4 points on the previous election. The Greens, on the other hand, suffered a sharp decline, falling to 11.5% and losing 8.5 points. The Left won 5.5% and the FDP liberals remained at 3.5%.

Signals for Berlin
The vote in Germany’s most populous state, considered a national barometer, represents the first real test for the new centre-right coalition in the federal government. The result confirms the stability of Merz’s CDU but highlights a strong advance by the far right and a significant retreat by the progressive forces.

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