Germany's most populous state has closed its polling stations: North Rhine-Westphalia has voted.

The CDU asserts itself as the strongest party in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. The AfD gains significant ground, while the SPD and especially the Greens suffer losses.

▶︎ The CDU has won according to initial projections. The Christian Democrats are receiving 34.6 percent, just slightly above their historically poor 2020 local election result of 34.3 percent.

▶︎ According to projections, the SPD was the second strongest party with 21.9 percent. This means the Social Democrats would have to accept another slight drop compared to 2020. Five years ago, the SPD had a historically low share of the vote of 24.3 percent.

▶︎ The AfD made significant gains. According to projections, it could triple its result to 16.0 percent (2020: 5.1 percent). The Greens suffered heavy losses, reaching 12.4 percent. In 2020, the coalition achieved its best local election result with 20 percent.

▶︎ According to projections, the FDP received 3.2 percent of the vote. Five years ago, the Liberals achieved 5.6 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Left Party, with a projected 5.1 percent, is above its 2020 result of 3.8 percent.

Approximately 13.7 million people in North Rhine-Westphalia were called upon to decide on the composition of city parliaments, district councils, municipal councils, and regional assemblies. At the same time, important mayoral elections were taking place in Cologne and Düsseldorf. A total of 427 municipalities – including 396 cities and municipalities and 31 districts – voted.

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In Dortmund, the heartland of social democracy in North Rhine-Westphalia, once governed by an absolute majority, a bitter result is looming for the SPD: Mayor Thomas Westphal (SPD) is down to just 27.47 percent of the vote shortly before the end of the vote count.

In Duisburg, incumbent Sören Link (SPD) appears to have clearly won the mayoral election. Shortly before all votes are counted, he is leading with just under 46 percent, ahead of AfD candidate Carsten Groß (approx. 20 percent).

September 14, 2025 - 7:50 p.m.

No trace of self-criticism from the SPD

The SPD is increasingly losing ground in its former heartland, currently polling just over 20 percent. But the party leader praises its own work.

Has the SPD failed to take people's problems seriously for too long? SPD leader Bärbel Bas was asked this on WDR."No, we take this very seriously," says Bas."We have taken on the tasks, it's just that people don't realize it yet."

It is "clearly noticeable that the SPD has tackled the issues that concern people." When asked whether the AfD is overtaking the SPD, Bas replies curtly:"I don't think so." Well then!

According to CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn, the outcome of the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia is also helping the CDU-SPD coalition at the federal level."The strong result in NRW is the reward for the good work done locally. But it also provides tailwind for the coalition in Berlin," the CDU politician, who himself comes from Westphalia, told the German Press Agency.

In Gelsenkirchen, voters voted today on who will lead the city as its future mayor.

Economists have reacted with concern to the AfD's result in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. The AfD's significant strengthening is"a warning signal for international investors and also for domestic companies," Marcel Fratzscher, President of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), told Handelsblatt.

According to projections, the FDP only received 3.4 percent in NRW, a decrease of 2.2 percent compared to the last local elections in 2020. Christof Rasche, FDP member of the state parliament and candidate for district administrator in the Soest district, calls this"disappointing."

September 14, 2025 - 7:18 p.m.

Green Party leader Banaszak admits mistakes

The Greens see the election result in North Rhine-Westphalia as a sign of fundamental social change. They intend to counteract it.

The Greens have lost more than a third of their votes from the last local elections today. However, federal chairman Felix Banaszak wants to wait and see"where we end up." The Greens' poor performance reflects the zeitgeist, Banaszak told WDR. Not only in Germany, but also beyond,"ecological, progressive politics is having a hard time right now."

Banaszak also admits mistakes made by the traffic light coalition: "You don't lose eight percent if you've done everything right." The Greens are "in a difficult situation, for which we ourselves are partly responsible."

September 14, 2025 - 7:06 p.m.

"A clear vote for pragmatic, solution-oriented centrist politics," said Hendrik Wüst, summing up the CDU's projected result. It is not a given that voter turnout will exceed 30 percent, the Minister-President said at the CDU's election party in Düsseldorf.