Overview
- Preliminary counts from Sunday’s state election put the CDU at about 30–31%, the SPD near 26%, and AfD close to 19–20%.
- The vote ends roughly 35 years of SPD-led government in the state and elevates AfD to the role of main opposition.
- CDU lead candidate Gordon Schnieder is expected to become minister-president through a likely CDU–SPD coalition.
- The FDP falls to about 2.1%, below the 5% threshold for seats, and the Greens slip to roughly 7.9%.
- SPD leaders Lars Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas concede losses and vow to stay on as the party reassesses its message during 2026’s “super election year”.