The local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia are seen as a test of the mood for the conservative-red coalition at the federal level. The CDU appears satisfied, while the AfD makes significant gains. The Greens suffer severe losses. The SPD posts a record-breaking negative result, but the feared debacle fails to materialize.

According to WDR's projections at 7:40 p.m., the CDU clearly asserted itself as the strongest party in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Christian Democrats received 34.6 percent, roughly matching their historically poor 2020 local election result of 34.3 percent.

Read all the events and reactions to the local elections in our live ticker.

The SPD was the second strongest party, projecting 21.9 percent, the worst local election result since the founding of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946. Compared to 2020, the Social Democrats would have to accept a further loss of 2.4 percentage points.

AfD gains massive support in the West – Greens plummet

The AfD is on the rise in the west. It more than tripled its result in North Rhine-Westphalia, reaching 16.0 percent according to projections. In 2020, the party achieved 5.1 percent. As in the early federal election in February, the AfD thus overtakes the Greens.

According to projections, the Greens will lose 7.6 percentage points, reaching only 12.4 percent of the vote. In 2020, the party achieved its best local election result with 20 percent.

According to projections, the FDP received 3.2 percent of the vote. This represents a decrease of 2.4 points compared to the previous local election (2020: 5.6 percent). The Left Party, with a projected 5.1 percent, is above its 2020 result of 3.8 percent.

According to WDR, voter turnout was 58.5 percent, higher than in the 2020 local elections (51.9 percent).

Wüst worried about strong AfD

North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister-President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) reacted with concern to the AfD's significant gains."This result should give us pause for thought; it can't let us sleep soundly. Not even my party, which won this election so clearly," Wüst said in ARD's "Report from Berlin."

Paul Ziemiak, General Secretary of the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia, considered his party's result a major success."We, the CDU NRW, clearly won this election," Ziemiak said. He added that he had"partially feared" the AfD's performance. He assumed that the AfD had gained ground, especially in former SPD strongholds.

The AfD's North Rhine-Westphalia state leader, Martin Vincentz, declared:"The initial counts clearly show: NRW wants less 'business as usual' and more AfD – much more!" The local elections are more than just a vote on mayors, city councils, and district councils."They were a referendum on the direction of our country. And those who ignore the will of the voters will be punished by the voters."

NRW local elections also a mood test for the federal government

The local elections in the most populous federal state are the last major elections in Germany this year. The vote is seen as the first political test of the mood for the conservative-red coalition government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) after the snap federal election last February. North Rhine-Westphalia has more eligible voters than all eastern German states combined.

Almost 14 million eligible voters

Around 13.7 million citizens were called to vote in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia's most populous state. They were able to vote on who should make political decisions in their communities for the next five years. Mayors, lord mayors, and district administrators were also elected. Since 1999, the CDU has regularly won the most votes in local elections across the state.

No threshold

Unlike federal or state elections, there is no threshold for city and municipal councils and district councils in local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. Only the elections to the Ruhr Parliament and the district councils of independent cities are subject to a 2.5 percent hurdle.

Runoff elections on September 28

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the valid votes in the first round of elections for mayor, mayors, or district administrators, the two top-placed candidates will advance to a runoff on September 28. A simple majority is sufficient for victory.

Eligible to vote in local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia are German citizens and citizens of other EU member states who are at least 16 years old on election day. In recent days and weeks, numerous eligible voters have already cast their votes by mail.

dpa/rct