CDU Remains Strongest Force in Lower Saxony Local Elections as AfD Gains
4 sources · Germany
Who reported this
- Der Spiegel
- Sueddeutsche Zeitung
- Deutsche Welle
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
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Every source for this story reports from Germany.
The center right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) remained the strongest force in Lower Saxony's local elections, according to preliminary results. The CDU secured 27.2 percent of the vote, followed by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 24.6 percent and the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 15.9 percent. The Greens received 14.1 percent, the Left 6.0 percent, and the FDP 3.7 percent. While the CDU and SPD both saw declines compared to 2021, the AfD experienced a significant increase, gaining nearly 12 percentage points to achieve its best municipal result in the state. Voter turnout rose to 64.6 percent, up from 57.0 percent five years ago.
In the state capital of Hannover, incumbent Lord Mayor Belit Onay of the Greens led the first round of voting with 45.6 percent. Because he did not reach an absolute majority, he will face a runoff election on September 27 against SPD candidate Axel von der Ohe, who received 21.5 percent. Similar runoff elections are scheduled for the mayoral offices in Braunschweig, Oldenburg, and Osnabrück, as well as the Regional President of the Hannover region. In Salzgitter, the AfD became the strongest force in the city council with 27.39 percent of the vote.
Political reactions varied based on party affiliation. CDU state leader Sebastian Lechner described the result as a success under difficult conditions, noting public discontent with the federal government in Berlin. SPD Minister President Olaf Lies called the outcome difficult and stated that his party had hoped for more. AfD state chief Ansgar Schledde celebrated the results, claiming the party has now established itself as a municipal force.
Outlets with a center left lean framed the event as a critical mood test for the governing coalition and a warning sign regarding the rise of the far right. Center right outlets focused more on the CDU's ability to remain the leading force and provided detailed breakdowns of specific mayoral races and runoff scenarios.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the AfD's growth and the 'difficult' nature of the results for the governing SPD.
- Centre
- This outlet presented the CDU's lead as a 'sigh of relief' and included broader national context regarding the AfD.
- Centre-right
- These outlets focused on the CDU's continued strength and provided granular detail on local mayoral runoffs.
Sources
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Lower Saxony local election: Green Lord Mayor Belit Onay leads in Hannover; runoff against Axel von der Ohe
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: CDU ahead of SPD according to projection; AfD and Left gain
- Centre Deutsche Welle: Germany: CDU ahead in Lower Saxony local election
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Germany Live Blog: Local election in Lower Saxony: Projection sees CDU ahead of SPD and AfD
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Lower Saxony election: Hanover's Lord Mayor Onay is clearly ahead
- Centre-left Sueddeutsche Zeitung: Local election: The CDU remains the strongest force in Niedersachsen
93% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.