Skip next section Western Germany: AfD set for success in local elections
September 14, 2025
Western Germany: AfD set for success in local elections
The rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in recent years is showing no signs of relenting.
Surveys ahead of Sunday’s local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, once a bastion of Social Democratic and leftist support, suggest the anti-immigration AfD could win big in some parts of the state.
The industrial region is home to millions of people with migrant backgrounds.
Read more about how the far-right party is hoping for success in the city of Gelsenkirchen.
https://p.dw.com/p/50RN8
Skip next section WATCH — Could ‘remigration’ blow up the AfD’s plan for power?
September 14, 2025
WATCH — Could ‘remigration’ blow up the AfD’s plan for power?
Featuring exclusive interviews, this deep dive reveals the internal battles, extremist ties and constitutional risks that could make or break the AfD’s future.
https://p.dw.com/p/50RNI
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage
September 14, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Guten morgen from a cloudy Bonn.
Voters in Germany’s most populous state North Rhine-Westphalia are heading to the polls for a local election that analysts say will be an early gauge of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government.
Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU), as well as its coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SPD), will be hoping the overcast weather is not an omen for an upset at the ballot box.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is primed to gain a stronger foothold in the region after historic gains in recent polls.
Stay tuned for rolling updates of the key vote in North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the other major developments from Germany on Sunday.
https://p.dw.com/p/50RLE
