German Chancellor Merz’s conservatives lead in state election, forecast shows
- On March 22, the ARD forecast showed the Christian Democrats at 30.50% and the Social Democrats at 27%, pointing to a likely victory for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU in Rhineland-Palatinate.
- Earlier this month, early projections showed the CDU at 30.80% and the SPD at 26% after a narrow March 8 loss in Baden‑Wuerttemberg, with Merz focusing on Ukraine support and energy shock risks.
- Polls showed the AfD taking about 20% of votes, more than doubling its support since the last election, while the SPD managed only 5.50% in Baden‑Wuerttemberg.
- Parties are expected to negotiate a Berlin‑style coalition, with CDU candidate Gordon Schnieder poised to replace sitting SPD premier Alexander Schweitzer, and losing control would deepen the SPD's crisis and pressure Merz's national coalition.
- This was the second of five state elections this year, and CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann said the result showed strong backing for CDU/CSU and SPD, which could exceed 50%.
98 Articles
98 Articles
The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party came in the lead on Sunday in Rhineland-Palatinate, ahead of the social democrats who had a disappointment in a fief, while the far right was moving towards a record score, according to first results.
The CDU with top candidate Gordon Schnieder overtakes the SPD in the state elections. The AfD wins 11.2 percent.
The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party broke up the Social Democratic Party (SPD) this Sunday in its bastion of Rhineland-Palatinate, in southwestern Germany, where it had ruled for 35 years continuously, while the far-right more than doubled its votes in 2021 and became a third force.With 96% of the votes cast, the CDU obtained 30.9%, the SPD 25.9%, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) 19.6% and the Greens 7.8%.
Juso-Chef Türmer attacks SPD-Top +++ Schnieder strives for black and red coalition +++ AfD achieves highest approval for young voters +++ The newsblog.
First Baden-Württemberg, then Rhineland-Palatinate: After the elections, the SPD stands under Klingbeil on the abyss.
It was just a regional election, but it has a signal effect for the federal government. Social democrats are losing again, the party is getting deeper and deeper into the crisis.
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