AfD strongest force

Right-wing parties also made gains in local elections

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz with his wife Britta Ernst on their way to cast their vote on Sunday(Bild: APA/dpa-Pool/Kay Nietfeld)

In Germany, there was not only a shift to the right in the EU elections, but also in the local elections in eight federal states. The AfD made gains in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. In some cases, it was neck-and-neck with the CDU.

One of the first final results came from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Monday morning. There, the AfD took 25.6% of the vote, pushing the CDU (24%) into second place. However, not all seats can be filled due to a lack of staff. In Ludwigslust, for example, three out of four seats that went to the AfD remain unfilled.

Plus in Brandenburg
The AfD is also on the verge of victory in the local elections in Brandenburg. After counting around 95% of the constituencies, the party was at 26.5%. That would be 10.6 percentage points more than five years ago. In this federal state, the Alternative for Germany is classified as a suspected right-wing extremist party.

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) with his wife Britta Ernst on their way to vote on Sunday(Bild: APA/dpa-Pool/Kay Nietfeld)

Maximilian Krah, AfD lead candidate for the European elections(Bild: APA/dpa/Robert Michael)

According to the preliminary results, the CDU came in second place. It was voted for by around one in five people. The SPD achieved 16.6 percent, a slight drop.

In the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, there are signs of a neck-and-neck race between the CDU and AfD. The Left Party, SPD, FDP and Greens all lost votes, in some cases significantly. In Saxony, too, the party was ahead in nine out of ten districts according to an interim result.

The CDU could become the strongest force here
In Stuttgart and Mannheim (Baden-Württemberg), the CDU could still become the strongest force according to the forecast. In Thuringia, where the AfD is classified as "definitely right-wing extremist", CDU candidates won in several districts. A total of 22.5 million citizens in eight federal states were called to cast their votes in the local elections. Elections were held for local councillors and mayors, for example.

The CDU/CSU won the European elections in Germany with 30 percent. The AfD came in second place (15.9%), ahead of the SPD (13.9%) and the Greens (11.9%).