CDU Gains Ground in North Rhine-Westphalia Mayoral Elections,AfD Fails to Make Inroads
Münster,Germany – In a series of closely watched mayoral elections across north Rhine-Westphalia (NRW),the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) made meaningful gains,reclaiming leadership in Aachen adn Bonn while the Greens experienced setbacks. Notably, Tilman Fuchs of the Greens secured the mayoral position in Münster, marking the first time a Green politician has held the executive chair in that city’s town hall.
The results follow nationwide local elections two weeks prior where the Greens suffered losses, signaling a current political headwind for the party. In 2020, the Greens achieved a breakthrough in NRW, winning mayoral posts in both Bonn and Aachen and achieving their best-ever results in local elections. This success came before the party entered into a coalition government with the CDU in NRW in 2022.
In Aachen, CDU challenger Michael ziemons defeated incumbent non-party Mayor Sibylle Keupen.Similarly, in Bonn, CDU politician Guido Déus prevailed against Katja Dörner, the previous Green mayor.
Green party leader Felix Banaszak acknowledged the mixed results and stated the need to refocus their political messaging. “What we have to do now, towards the state election and towards the Bundestag election, is to rebuild that green politics will provide the right answers to the questions of the present and the future,” Banaszak told the dpa news agency. ”We have a mixed result today, and I am also not ready to let the story tell that everything is broken,” he added. Current surveys indicate the black and green coalition in NRW maintains a majority.
While the CDU and Greens garnered attention, the AfD’s performance in the mayoral races was notably weak. In Duisburg, SPD Mayor Sören Link decisively defeated his AfD challenger, a result praised by SPD federal manager BAS, who stated, “Sören link is a convincing mayor who is close to people and tackles the problems of our city. He clearly outclassed the AfD with a brilliant result.”
link’s success has already sparked discussion within the SPD regarding his potential as a top candidate for the 2027 state elections. Düsseldorf political scientist Stefan Marschall commented,”Someone who is able to rule a complex city is also qualified for higher offices at the state level.”
DPA
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