Observers see the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia as a test of the mood for the federal government. According to initial projections, the CDU will be by far the strongest party. The AfD is gaining significant ground, but the debacle feared by the SPD hasn't materialized. Follow all the developments in the live ticker.

The local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia are more than just a vote for mayors and councils. Around 14 million eligible voters aged 16 and over were called to the polls. According to initial projections, the CDU is clearly ahead, but cannot improve on its historically poor result of 2020.

All developments regarding the NRW local elections in the live ticker:

20:06 – SPD leader Bas: Investments in municipalities must flow quickly

Following her party's losses, SPD leader Bärbel Bas sees it as the SPD's task to"return to policies that concern workers." With regard to the federal government, she demands that the agreed investments be implemented quickly."The investments must be put out to tender quickly," she told WDR. People in the Ruhr region, in particular, must realize that what the federal government has planned"is now having a tangible impact on the communities."

7:59 p.m. – New projection: CDU may gain slightly in local elections

According to the second WDR projection, the CDU now receives 34.6 percent (plus 0.3 percent). The SPD only achieves 21.9 percent (minus 2.4 percent). The AfD, with 16 percent, triples its 2020 result (plus 10.9 percent). The Greens, on the other hand, suffer heavy losses, landing at 12.4 percent (minus 7.6 percent). The Left Party achieves 5.1 percent (plus 1.3 percent), while the FDP only 3.2 percent (minus 2.4 percent).

7:36 p.m. – NRW Greens: “Result falls short of our expectations”

The North Rhine-Westphalia Greens have expressed disappointment with their party's performance in the local elections."Our statewide result falls short of our expectations," said Green Party state chairmen Yazgülü Zeybek and Tim Achtermeyer in Düsseldorf."In the last local elections, future-oriented issues had a tailwind, but currently they are often facing headwinds." This is also reflected in the election results."We will use the time to take a close look at the results," Zeybek and Achtermeyer explained.

7:33 p.m. – Höne: FDP has suffered a “heavy defeat”

Henning Höne, the leader of the FDP in North Rhine-Westphalia, wants to quickly shift the focus to the future after his party's poor performance in the local elections."The FDP suffered a heavy defeat tonight," he admitted. The FDP's approval rating"is currently at a low point." Now it's time to focus on the next elections."We will see a strengthened Free Democrats as early as the 2027 state elections. The FDP is coming back," Höne announced.

According to an initial projection by infratest dimap, the FDP can expect to receive 3.4 percent of the vote, 2.2 points less than in the last local elections five years ago.

7:15 p.m. – Wüst: “We are the powerhouse of the Union in Germany”

Minister-President and CDU state leader Hendrik Wüst sees the CDU/CSU strengthened by his party's performance in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia."With all due modesty, we are the powerhouse of the CDU/CSU in Germany," Wüst said at a CDU event in Düsseldorf. When one compares this election result with other polls, the bottom line is the clear outcome. According to initial projections, the Christian Democrats were clearly the strongest party in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, but are roughly at the same level as their historically poor local election result of 2020, when they achieved 34.3 percent.

7:15 p.m. – Projection confirms forecast

The first projections roughly confirmed the forecast results. According to WDR, the CDU received 34.2 percent (down 0.1 percent compared to 2020). The SPD, according to the initial projection, achieved 22.6 percent (down 1.7 percent). The AfD was the third strongest party with 16.4 percent (up 11.3 percent). The Greens, on the other hand, slumped to 11.7 percent (down 8.3 percent). The Left Party received 5.4 percent (up 1.6 percent), while the Liberals achieved only 3.4 percent (down 2.2 percent).

7:07 PM – Banaszak: Greens must be an alternative to the shift to the right

Green Party leader Felix Banaszak sees his party's weak performance as the result of a fundamental political shift."Ecological, progressive politics is having a tough time right now," Banaszak told WDR. For the Greens, it's now crucial to embody a"credible alternative to this fundamental shift to the right in this society," he said.

The question is:"Who gives hope and confidence to people who don't want to see everything drifting in the direction we're seeing in the US?" According to an initial forecast, the Greens suffered heavy losses in the NRW local elections and can expect 11.5 percent of the vote statewide. In 2020, the party achieved its best local election result with 20 percent.

18:49 – Chrupalla calls AfD a “people’s party”

AfD leader Tino Chrupalla called his party's performance in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia a success."Initial forecasts predict that the AfD tripled its vote share in the local elections in NRW," he wrote on X. This is a major success."We are a people's party and we all bear a great responsibility for Germany." According to the 6 p.m. figures, the AfD, with a projected 16.5 percent, is significantly higher than its 2020 result of 5.1 percent.

6:34 p.m. – Wüst: AfD forecast “must give us food for thought”

North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister-President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) spoke of a"great result" for his party."We remain the number one local party," said Wüst in the ARD program "Report from Berlin." However, the result also demonstrates that issues such as poverty migration, social systems, and problematic real estate must be addressed and resolved by politicians."This result should give us pause for thought and cannot let us sleep soundly," said the CDU state chairman, referring to the AfD. However, Wüst does not see the party as"migrating westward." He also rejected "sneaky" suggestions to other parties like the SPD. He called on all democratic parties to solve the problems.

6:26 PM – AfD state parliamentarians: “We have cemented our electorate”

AfD state parliament member Enxhi Seli-Zacharias described her party's performance as excellent after the initial forecast."I'm incredibly pleased," she said on WDR television."For the AfD, it's now also about clearly demonstrating: We have cemented our electorate. This is no longer just a case of voting out of frustration." According to WDR's initial forecast, the AfD could more than triple its result to 16.5 percent.

The forecast also clearly shows that the Greens, in particular, have been punished, said Seli-Zacharias, deputy spokesperson for the AfD's Gelsenkirchen district association. This, too, is an important signal.

6:22 PM – Van Aken: Great result for the Left

Left Party leader Jan van Aken described his party's performance in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia as fantastic."This is a fantastic result for the Left Party – we not only achieved our goal, but exceeded it! The Left Party's upswing continues unabated, and this gives us the momentum we need for the upcoming elections," he said after the initial forecast.

The Left Party listened to the people and adopted their issues in the election campaign."We are now entering district councils across the board – this is a victory of hope over the powerlessness in people's everyday lives and the beginning of much more," said van Aken. According to the 6 p.m. figures, the Left Party is projected at 5.5 percent, above its 2020 result of 3.8 percent.

6:15 p.m. – Ziemiak: Local election result a great success for the CDU

Paul Ziemiak, General Secretary of the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia, considered the local election results a major success for his party after the initial forecast. The CDU clearly won the election. The AfD performed well below its current national average, Ziemiak said. On Platform X, Ziemiak wrote:"We are and will remain the only people's party in #NRW."

6:00 p.m. – First forecast shows CDU clearly ahead, AfD gains more than eleven percentage points

According to a forecast by WDR, the CDU has won the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Christian Democrats are receiving 34 percent, roughly matching their historically poor local election result of 2020, when the CDU achieved 34.3 percent. According to the forecast by Infratest dimap, the SPD was the second strongest party with 22.5 percent. This means the Social Democrats will suffer another slight decline compared to 2020. Five years ago, the SPD had a historically low share of the vote of 24.3 percent.

The AfD made significant gains. According to forecasts, it could more than triple its result to 16.5 percent (2020: 5.1 percent). The Greens suffered heavy losses and are currently at 11.5 percent. In 2020, the Green Party achieved its best local election result with 20 percent. According to forecasts, the FDP received 3.5 percent. Five years ago, the Liberals achieved 5.6 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Left Party, with a projected 5.5 percent, is above its 2020 result of 3.8 percent.

4:20 p.m. – Elderly man dies in polling station

An elderly man collapsed and died at a polling station in Krefeld. The man had visited the polling station in the Uerdingen district with his wife that afternoon, a spokesperson for the city of Krefeld said. A person at the polling station attempted to resuscitate him on the spot. According to initial findings, the man had pre-existing medical conditions.

The wife was cared for by emergency chaplains. This was also offered to the election board, the spokesperson said. The election board ultimately decided to remain on-site and continue to supervise voting for the local elections there.

3:04 p.m. - Polling stations open late, indication of manipulation

According to the city, voters in some districts in Dortmund were delayed in casting their ballots in the local elections. Four polling stations in the city did not open promptly at 8:00 a.m., but were delayed by up to one and a half hours.

In one case, the police were notified: In Lütgendortmund, the door lock to the polling station had been tampered with, according to initial findings, the city reported. A locksmith had to open the door. No further details were initially available. The polling station is located in a senior citizens' residence.

In Herne, a polling station also opened a little later. The city reported that a"mobile polling station" was deployed in front of the daycare center in the Wanne district that morning. There was no impact on voters.

1:19 p.m. – Participation in local elections in NRW increased slightly

Turnout in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia was slightly higher by midday than in the previous local elections in 2020. By midday, approximately 32 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots, according to State Returning Officer Monika Wißmann. In 2020, the turnout was approximately 29 percent at midday. The figures are based on a sample of eight municipalities.

12:52 p.m. – Ballot missing – Election team visits Bielefeld resident at home

Due to a glitch in the distribution of local election ballots, election workers in Bielefeld are visiting the homes of some eligible voters. At a polling station in the Ubbedissen district, one ballot paper was accidentally handed out too few – the ballot for the mayoral election was missing. This was announced by Linda Schumacher, head of the election team. According to local media reports, approximately 80 eligible voters were affected.

11:50 a.m. – These cities are particularly in focus

Elections are taking place in more than 396 cities and municipalities. The mayoral election in Cologne is a particular focus. Mayor Henriette Reker is not running again – the race for her successor is considered open. Thirteen candidates are running for office. The favorites are the city's head of the building department, Markus Greitemann (CDU), state parliament member Berivan Aymaz (Greens), and sports official Torsten Burmester (SPD).

In February, the AfD took first place in the federal election in Gelsenkirchen, receiving 24.7 percent of the second vote, a razor-thin lead over the SPD. Mayor Karin Welge (SPD) is withdrawing, and the SPD candidate is Andrea Henze. The AfD is nominating Norbert Emmerich. He is considered to have a good chance of making it to the runoff.

The AfD also gained ground elsewhere in the Ruhr region, such as Duisburg, in February, narrowly trailing the SPD in the Duisburg II constituency with 24.6 percent. SPD Mayor Sören Link is seeking re-election – he is running against ten other candidates. These include Sylvia Linn of the CDU, Sebastian Ritter of the Greens, Carsten Groß of the AfD, and Erkan Kocalar of the BSW.

Solingen, too, faces a challenging decision. The city, which was rocked by a deadly Islamist-motivated attack a year ago, will see a change of leadership: Mayor Tim-Oliver Kurzbach (SPD) will not run for re-election. Seven candidates are vying to succeed him, including CDU council group leader Daniel Flemm and SPD member Josef Neumann, a directly elected state parliament member from the Wuppertal III/Solingen II constituency four consecutive times since 2010. The city is currently governed by a traffic light coalition of the SPD, the Greens, and the FDP.

In the 2020 local elections, the Greens were more successful than ever, capturing the mayoralty in North Rhine-Westphalia for the first time. Mayor Sibylle Keupen intends to defend her office in Aachen, as does Katja Dörner in Bonn. However, since the years of the traffic light coalition, the Greens have lost a significant amount of votes. According to a poll by the Bonn-based"General-Anzeiger," Dörner is currently losing out in Bonn with 33 percent in a head-to-head race with CDU candidate Guido Déus (35 percent).

11:10 a.m. – Review of the past years – and the prospects for the AfD

Since 1999, the CDU has regularly won the most votes in local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. It also won the previous local elections in 2020, receiving 34.3 percent, followed by the SPD with 24.3 percent. However, these were the worst results ever for both parties in local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Greens, on the other hand, achieved their best result with 20 percent and won their first three mayoral seats in the industrial and energy-rich state of North Rhine-Westphalia: Aachen, Bonn, and Wuppertal. The AfD received 5.1 percent, the FDP 5.6 percent, and the Left Party 3.8 percent.

Pollsters expect significantly higher results for the AfD this time. According to a July survey conducted by the Forsa polling institute for NRW daily newspapers, the AfD has the potential to almost triple its 2020 result—to 14 percent.

11:00 a.m. – Who will be elected? And how will the election be conducted?

At stake are approximately 20,000 seats in the municipal parliaments of the 396 cities and municipalities, the 31 districts, and the Ruhr Parliament of the Ruhr Regional Association. Mayors, Lord Mayors, district administrators, city and municipal councils, district councils, and district representatives in independent cities are elected. In many cities and municipalities, integration councils are also elected. These are the municipal representatives of migrants in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Unlike federal or state elections, there is no threshold for city and municipal councils and district councils in local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. Only the elections to the Ruhr Parliament and the district councils of independent cities are subject to a 2.5 percent hurdle.

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the valid votes in the first round of elections for mayor or district administrator, the two top-placed candidates will advance to a runoff on September 28. A simple majority is sufficient for victory.

10:51 a.m. – Polling stations have been open since 8 a.m.

Polling stations for the local elections have been open since 8:00 a.m. Nearly 14 million eligible voters can vote on who should make political decisions in their communities for the next five years.

The turnout varied this morning. At one polling station in Düsseldorf, there was no waiting time, as a reporter from the dpa news agency reported. In Duisburg, the first lines were already forming in front of the ballot boxes at one location.

10:00 a.m. – Merz announces consequences from NRW local elections

With regard to the AfD, CDU Federal Chairman Friedrich Merz intends to draw critical conclusions from the results of the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. During a visit to the Henkel plant in Düsseldorf on Saturday, the Chancellor said that shifts in the party landscape behind the CDU may occur."I will take a close look at this tomorrow evening and also on Monday and then [...] draw conclusions from it with regard to the way we conduct election campaigns; with regard to how we address issues; with regard to how we engage with competitors," Merz said. He is determined, particularly with the AfD,"to wrestle very hard on the issue of the right issues and the direction of the country."

dpa/AFP/Reuters/epd/gub