German Chancellor Gets Political Boost as CDU Tops Lower Saxony Local Elections

Reuters

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz received a temporary political boost on Monday after his CDU conservatives emerged as the strongest party in municipal elections in Lower Saxony, according to provisional results.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) also recorded significant gains in the state, underlining the growing strength of the party at the local level.

The CDU won 27.2% of the vote at the weekend, with its coalition ally the Social Democrats on 24.6%, while the AfD climbed to third place with 15.9%, 11.3 points more than its result in 2021.

The results offer some relief for Merz, coming a week after his party suffered a heavy defeat to the AfD in state elections in eastern Germany. The setback sent shockwaves through the government, raising fresh questions over Merz's political future and his plans for reform.

The CDU's leader in the northwestern state of Lower Saxony, home to major companies including Volkswagen and steelmaker Salzgitter, welcomed the result but said the party must respond to calls for change.

"I believe a political shift is needed in Berlin. We need to ease the burden on people. Energy prices are too high, and housing costs are too high," Sebastian Lechner said in Hanover, according to Die Zeit newspaper.

"We, too, have sensed the dissatisfaction with Berlin."

The CDU won the mayoral election in Wolfsburg, home to Volkswagen, one of the world's largest carmakers and Lower Saxony's biggest private-sector employer.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel has repeatedly pointed to Volkswagen's difficulties, including plans to cut tens of thousands of jobs, as evidence of what she describes as the government's failures.

However, in the industrial city of Salzgitter, home to the steelmaker of the same name, the CDU failed to secure enough votes to win outright. A mayoral run-off between the CDU and AfD will therefore be held.

Merz faces a tougher electoral test this weekend, with state elections due in two more regions. In the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD is expected to emerge as the strongest party once again.

Berlin will also hold a state election, where the far-left Die Linke could emerge on top.

As Germany's political landscape becomes increasingly polarised, Merz has become a major target of voter frustration over the cost of living, pensions and economic insecurity. His personal approval ratings have also fallen to record lows.

Last week, the AfD came close to winning an outright majority in Saxony-Anhalt and could still form a state government there. Such an outcome would mark the first time a far-right party has governed a German state in the post-war era.

The results have intensified scrutiny of whether Merz has become an electoral liability for the CDU and whether he may be forced to alter his reform agenda, which he says is intended to revive sluggish growth in Europe's largest economy.

Source: Reuters



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