Election in Rhineland-Palatinate: AfD achieves record result in western Germany

Election in Rhineland-Palatinate: AfD achieves record result in western Germany

The SPD faces another setback as the results of the Rhineland-Palatinate state elections reveal a sharp decline in support. Just two weeks prior, the party had already suffered a significant defeat in Baden-Württemberg, and now its vote share has dropped by nearly nine percentage points, with the CDU emerging as the clear winner. Early projections from ARD and ZDF, using data from Infratest dimap and Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, indicate the CDU is leading with 30.6%, while the Social Democrats, who have governed the state for 35 years under incumbent premier Alexander Schweitzer, trail behind with 25.7%.

The AfD, the right-wing populist party, has made remarkable gains, securing around 20% of the vote and coming in third. This surge of over eleven percentage points is notable, marking what could be their strongest performance in a western German state election. Party leader Alice Weidel expressed confidence, stating in a Sunday evening interview,

“We are ready to deliver excellent opposition work.”

Meanwhile, the Greens have become the fourth-strongest party with 7.9% of the vote, while the Free Democrats, who were part of the state’s traffic-light coalition, are projected to fall just short of parliamentary representation with approximately two percent.

Uncertainty remained over the potential impact of a high number of postal votes, but current projections suggest only four parties will be represented in the state parliament. The CDU is expected to nominate Gordon Schnieder, brother of Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder, as the next state premier. A potential coalition with the SPD appears the most likely scenario, though the Greens’ performance has raised questions about their role in future governance.

For Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s federal CDU, this result signifies a clear victory following a closely contested campaign in Rhineland-Palatinate. The party’s parliamentary group leader, Jens Spahn, hailed the success as “historic” and viewed it as a positive sign for national politics, anticipating a “tailwind” at the federal level. However, within the SPD, the loss has sparked internal debates. Party leader Lars Klingbeil acknowledged the need for personnel changes, while the SPD’s general secretary described the outcome as a “bitter setback.”