GERMANY – CDU wins local elections in Lower Saxony

HANOVER, Sept 14 /ATSH-DPA/ – The Christian Democratic Party (CDU) of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is facing political difficulties, remained the strongest force in local elections in the state of Lower Saxony, taking 27.2% of the vote, according to preliminary results published today.

The elections include counties, cities and local units of this northern German state, home to automotive giant “Volkswagen” and auto-parts producer “Continental”.

Although local elections usually do not attract much attention, the political situation in Germany is tense after the deep victory of the far right, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), last week in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Parliamentary elections in the states of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are also expected on September 20.

The CDU lost 4.5 percentage points in yesterday’s vote in Lower Saxony, dropping from the 31.7% it won in the 2021 local elections.

The federal coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), ranked second with 24.6%, down from 30% in 2021.

The AfD came third, with 15.9% of the vote, a significant increase compared to the 4.6% it won at county level in 2021. This is the party’s best result in local elections in Lower Saxony.

The Greens ranked fourth with 14.1%, while the Die Linke party took 6.0% and the FDP liberals 3.7%, according to the state’s electoral portal.

Voter turnout was 64.6%, a considerable increase from the 57% of eligible voters who participated five years ago.

About 6.3 million citizens were eligible to vote for mayors, county leaders and local councils, including the Hanover Regional Assembly.

The results are considered an important indicator of public opinion ahead of next year’s elections for the Lower Saxony state parliament.

They also give a picture of the political climate in this large western German state.

For Chancellor Merz, these results represent a temporary relief, after the CDU suffered a heavy blow in Saxony-Anhalt last weekend, where its result fell to around 17%.