Chancellor Merz's Party Wins, AfD Surges in German Elections

Berlin, Sep 15 (AP) Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party emerged victorious in municipal elections in Germany's most populous state. However, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was the standout winner in this first electoral test since Merz's administration assumed power, nearly tripling its performance compared to five years ago.

The final results announced on Monday indicated that Merz's center-right Christian Democratic Union secured 33.3% of the vote in Sunday's elections for councils and mayors in North Rhine-Westphalia, the western region home to approximately 18 million residents. Their coalition partners, the center-left Social Democrats—historically strong in the region—garnered 22.1%, showing a slight decline since the last municipal elections in 2020.

Conversely, Alternative for Germany, known for its anti-immigration stance, captured 14.5% of the votes, marking an increase of 9.4 percentage points. Although AfD traditionally exhibits its strongest presence in the formerly communist eastern areas, this election highlighted its growing influence in western Germany as well.

In the national election held in February, AfD secured 20.8% of the vote, coming in second and establishing itself as the largest opposition party. In North Rhine-Westphalia, it achieved 16.8% in that election.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel hailed Sunday's outcome as "a huge success."

AfD's ascent is attributed to unrest regarding the influx of migrants and other issues, including an economy facing stagnation and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Support for AfD remains robust despite Germany's domestic intelligence labeling it as a right-wing extremist group—a classification currently on hold following AfD's legal dispute.

The party's success in February followed the fall of a center-left national government known for internal discord. Merz's conservative leadership, which assumed office in May, favors stricter migration policies and economic revitalization efforts, but has faced criticism for its internal disagreements.

Stefan Marschall, a political science professor at Düsseldorf's Heinrich Heine University, commented that AfD has effectively organized discontent against the traditional mainstream parties. He noted that they particularly succeeded in historically neglected regions, telling Phoenix television that AfD didn't run candidates everywhere, suggesting the outcome underrepresented its potential support.

In three of the economically challenged cities within the Ruhr area, AfD mayoral candidates gained enough support to move to runoff elections on September 28, facing candidates from established parties. AfD candidates will challenge Social Democrats in Gelsenkirchen and Duisburg, while a Christian Democrat will be their opponent in Hagen.

The environmentalist Greens experienced the most significant decline, dropping to 13.5% from 20% five years ago. Nationally in opposition since Ex-Chancellor Olaf Scholz's unpopular government ended, the Greens remain part of the state government led by conservative governor Hendrik Wüst, a prominent ally of Merz, though that government wasn't subject to this election.