The party of theultra-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) tripled its score in local elections in the industrial region of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous region of the GermanyAccording to the estimates of the television broadcaster wdr, the party achieved a historic result of 16,4%, compared to 5% a year ago, in a region traditionally dominated by Conservative CDU and come on Social Democrats (SPD)The CDU maintained its result at 34,2%, while the SPD's result dropped slightly to 22,6% (from 24% five years ago). The Greens dropped 8,5 points to 11,7%. Approximately 13,7 million residents were expected to cast their ballots before polls closed at 14:18 PM on Sunday, September XNUMX.
Germany: Rhineland elections a test for the government
The municipal elections in Most populous land in the country were considered an important first test: those in North Rhine-Westphalia, in fact, are never really "just" municipal elections since Germany's most populous state is almost always a thermometer to also test the approval ratings of politicians in Berlin. A test, it was said, given that they took place a few months after the federal elections that elected the government of Friedrich Merz (CDU), in coalition with the SPD. In these elections, the AfD, the nationalist movement of Alice Weidel, achieved a historic national result of 20,8%, with the declared aim of quickly becoming the country's leading party.
Germany: Alice Weidel's Far Right Makes a Leap
Founded in 2013, the party has gained popularity since 2016, particularly on the issue ofimmigration, fueled in particular by the sexual assaults against 1.200 women on New Year's Eve, half of them in Cologne (West Germany), according to the final report of the criminal police cited by several media. Since then, the party's popularity continued to grow, especially in Eastern Landers: has become the leading political force in Thuringia, winning 33% of the vote in the local elections of September 2024.
Germany: But young people are turning their backs on the AfD.
It seems possible that AfD reaches the second round in some municipalities and then see all the parties unite to oppose the idea of a far-right mayor. A runoff election will almost certainly take place in what was once an SPD stronghold. Gelsenkirchen, with over 250 inhabitants: here the Social Democratic candidate, Andrea Henze, will have to face the AfD candidate, Norbert Emmerich, in two weeks. Some problems for the AfD could come fromanalysis of youth voting (in the state sixteen-year-olds can vote), who for now seem to be turning their backs on him: in the 16-24 age group AfD is only fifth force, after CDU, SPD, Linke and Greens.
