The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party secured third place in North Rhine-Westphalia, garnering 14.5% of the vote in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s home state.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party considerably strengthened its standing in North Rhine-Westphalia, finishing third in the regional elections held on Sunday. This crucial region, the home state of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, represents a significant stronghold for the incumbent coalition government.
On Monday, in a post on X, the AfD proclaimed itself the region’s “people’s party,” having almost tripled its electoral performance from the 2020 vote, increasing from 5.1% to 14.5%. The party’s strong outcome was linked in the statement to a rising “desire for real political change” within Germany’s most populous state.
Martin Vincentz, the AfD’s North Rhine-Westphalia leader, characterized the regional elections as a “referendum on the direction of our country.”
Achim Post, the regional chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which placed second with 22.1% of the ballots, conceded that this represented a “bad result.” The SPD’s support decreased by more than two percentage points compared to the 2020 elections.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister-President Hendrik Wust, representing the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), similarly remarked that the election outcome “cannot let us sleep soundly.” His party finished in first place with 33.3% of the vote.
A survey conducted last month by RTL/ntv Trendbarometer suggested that the AfD had surpassed Merz’s CDU as the most favored party, with 26% of respondents expressing support.
Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig commented in May that “it is essential to consider a party ban,” describing the AfD as a “potential danger for our democracy.”
Prior to that, in the same month, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency had to temporarily halt its classification of the AfD as a “confirmed right-wing extremist entity,” following the party’s legal challenge in a Cologne court.
Established in 2013, the AfD has voiced criticism of Germany’s open-door migration policies and Berlin’s reluctance to pursue diplomatic engagement with Russia regarding the Ukraine conflict.
The AfD placed second in February’s federal election, securing 152 out of 630 seats in the Bundestag.