Election in Rhineland-Palatinate: AfD achieves record result in western Germany
Election in Rhineland-Palatinate: AfD achieves record result in western Germany
A Fresh Setback for the SPD
The Social Democrats face another significant defeat in Rhineland-Palatinate, following their underwhelming performance in Baden-Württemberg state elections two weeks prior. The party’s vote share plummeted by nearly nine percentage points, resulting in a loss to the CDU. Early projections from ARD and ZDF, based on data from Infratest dimap and Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, indicate the CDU leads with 30.6%, while the SPD, which has governed the region for three decades under Premier Alexander Schweitzer, trails with 25.7%.
AfD Surges to Historic Heights
The AfD has made a remarkable leap in popularity, securing around 20% of the vote according to projections—marking their highest tally in a state election within western Germany. This sharp rise of over 11 percentage points contrasts sharply with the modest gains of the CDU and Left Party, which each added two to three points. The Greens, meanwhile, dropped to 7.9%, while the Free Democrats, part of the traffic-light coalition, are projected to fall just short of parliamentary representation at 2%. The Left Party also fails to enter the state assembly, despite a slight increase, with just over 4%.
Uncertainty lingered over the impact of a high postal vote count on the final outcome. However, current projections suggest only four parties will be represented in the state legislature.
Cutting-Edge Political Shift
The CDU is expected to appoint Gordon Schnieder as the next state premier, the brother of Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder. A potential coalition with the SPD appears most likely, though the federal CDU celebrated the result as a clear victory after a tightly contested campaign in Rhineland-Palatinate.
“This outcome is historic and signals a shift in national politics, with hopes for a ‘tailwind’ at the federal level,” said Jens Spahn, the federal CDU’s parliamentary group leader, during an ARD interview.
Within the SPD, the loss has sparked deep disappointment. Party leader and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil initiated personnel debates in response to the results, as shared in an ARD interview, while the general secretary labeled it a “bitter setback.”
