AfD triumphs in NRW local elections – SPD in crisis!

AfD triumphs in NRW local elections – SPD in crisis!

In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) there was a lot of excitement in the local elections on September 15, 2025. According to the current figures, 13.7 million eligible voters were called to cast their votes. At 58.8 percent, voter turnout was significantly higher than in the previous elections, where it was only 51.9 percent. This shows that citizens are more interested in the political situation than ever before.

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) remained the strongest force in North Rhine-Westphalia despite a slight decline from 34.3 to 33.3 percent of the vote. Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst is pleased that the CDU has achieved its electoral goal and emphasizes the need to address important issues such as poverty migration and social systems. Even if the CDU has slightly worsened its results, it still remains the “number one local party”.

Rise and setbacks

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), on the other hand, is facing a clear decline. At 22.1 percent, she achieved 2.2 percentage points less than in the last election. This is attributed not least to the dissatisfied voters in the Ruhr area, which was previously considered firmly in the hands of the SPD. Bärbel Bas, the Federal Minister of Labor and SPD leader, noted that no “disaster” had been experienced, but the party still had to ask itself how it could get out of the slump.

However, a notable increase was recorded for the Alternative for Germany (AfD). The party received 14.5 percent of the vote, an almost three-fold increase compared to 2020. Alice Weidel, co-chair of the AfD, viewed the result as a “huge success”. Voters over 60 also showed loyalty to the CDU and SPD, while younger voters made the Left Party the third strongest force with 18 percent.

The other parties in view

The Greens lost ground and fell to fourth place with 13.5 percent, a loss of 6.5 points compared to the previous election. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) also had to accept a historic low of just 3.7 percent. The Left Party experienced a small boost, improving by 1.8 points to 5.6 percent.

After the elections there will be runoff elections in many cities. In Cologne the decision will be between Berivan Aymaz from the Greens and the SPD candidate Torsten Burmester. In Düsseldorf, incumbent Stephan Keller (CDU) has to assert himself against the Green candidate Clara Gerlach. The exciting phase of the by-election is expected on September 28, 2025.

Overall, the election results show a fundamental shift in the political landscape. NRW Prime Minister Wüst and other representatives of the “centre parties” express concern about the AfD’s performance and are calling for a change of course. Felix Banaszak, the federal leader of the Green Party, sees this voter trend as a clear signal that the parties need to reposition themselves. It remains to be seen how the elections will influence future politics in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The final election results are expected on Monday morning, which is likely to further heat up the political debate. The citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia are therefore required to continue to be actively involved in the political shaping of their state.

Reports from NZZ, Time and WDR We continue to keep our finger on the pulse of the times in order to closely follow developments in politics in North Rhine-Westphalia.