Germany’s Christian Democratic Union was ahead in Lower Saxony’s municipal elections, according to a projection by Infratest dimap published by broadcaster NDR and reported by Deutsche Welle. The CDU was projected to receive 27.7% of the vote, followed by the Social Democratic Party on 24.5% and the far-right Alternative for Germany on 16.5%.
The Greens were projected to take 13.6%, followed by The Left on 5.9% and the Free Democratic Party on 3.6%. The result was being closely watched after the AfD made gains in regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt the previous week.
CDU state leader Sebastian Lechner said before the projection that his party could buck the national trend in Lower Saxony. He acknowledged public discontent with the federal government and said the CDU had a “credibility problem” that needed to be addressed.
Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder, leader of the CDU’s sister party, the Christian Social Union, described the Saxony-Anhalt result as a warning. He said stagnation would fuel the AfD and called for faster government work, better communication and action on issues including high energy prices.
Several mayoral contests produced clear outcomes. In Wolfsburg, incumbent CDU mayor Dennis Weilmann won 50.1% of the vote, ahead of SPD candidate Karsten Schneider on 15.5% and AfD candidate Thomas Schlick on 14.1%. Eva Maria Haarmann, an independent candidate, became the first woman elected mayor of Wilhelmshaven, winning about 55%.
A runoff was required in Oldenburg, where SPD candidate Ulf Prange received 33.16% and independent candidate Jascha Rohr 30.54%. Turnout in Lower Saxony stood at 50.67% by 4:30 p.m., compared with 43.99% at the same point in 2021, according to the state election commission.