CDU maintains its advantage in North Rhine-Westphalia, causing setbacks for the SPD. [

Upcoming European polls - CDU widens its advantage in NRW: Blunders for SPD

Excitement for the CDU, dismay at the Greens, and disenchantment with the SPD: The Christian Democrats have solidified their top spot in the European election in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Christian Democrats increased their lead significantly, sitting at 31.2%, a rise more than three percentage points over the national level. The SPD followed in second place with 17.2%, marking their worst result in the 2019 European election. The Greens experienced a major drop of nearly ten points to 13.5%. The AfD gained approximately four percentage points in North Rhine-Westphalia to attain 12.6%. In contrast to the national level, the right-wing populists only managed to secure fourth place in the most populous federal state.

CDU Strength in the Ruhr Region

The SPD experienced more losses in their historical stronghold of the Ruhr Region. The Social Democrats only maintained first place in districts and independent cities in Herne, coming in at a razor-thin advantage of 0.2% above the CDU at 23.9%. In the steel and former coal towns of Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen, Bottrop, and Oberhausen, the CDU surpassed the SPD.

Greens Also Lost Leadership in Several Cities

The Greens also lost their first-place positions in multiple cities. In Dortmund, Wuppertal, Bielefeld, and Bonn, the CDU knocked the Greens from their top spot. While the Greens managed to retain first place in the bustling city of Cologne with 24.3%, the CDU was the leading force in other significant cities of the state, such as Düsseldorf, Dortmund, and Essen.

Wuest: "Stop Bickering"

Wuest expressed great pride at the CDU's performance in North Rhine-Westphalia being higher than the national average. The state party leader and prime minister stated, "This impressive win validates the path of the center" during Sunday evening celebrations at the Düsseldorf party headquarters. The election outcome served as a clear message from the voters to the traffic light coalition, "Stop disputing and start addressing the needs of the people in this country."

Ziemiak: "Unity Despite Losses of the Greens"

Ziemiak, the general secretary of the NRW-CDU, views the cooperation between the black-green state government as stable. The Bundestag member expressed, "This election is primarily a referendum on the traffic light coalition and arguments in Berlin," on Monday's "Morning Echo" on WDR5. "The public doesn't want this, and it has less to do with the Greens in North Rhine-Westphalia than with the traffic light coalition in Berlin."

Post: "A Warning Signal"

Achim Post, the deputy SPD parliamentary group leader, asserted that the poor showing of the SPD in the European and state elections serves as a cautionary tale. "The numbers don't lie. The federal government needs to improve dramatically," said Post, who is also the co-chairman of the NRW-SPD. The traffic light coalition in Berlin is locked in unnecessary disagreements about several decisions, but Post claimed the SPD leadership crisis with their Chancellor Olaf Scholz is not a factor in this. The NRW-SPD co-leaders acknowledged a "clear defeat" on Sunday night and plan to learn from it for future regional and federal elections.

Achtermeyer: "Inspiration Shortfall"

Achtermeyer, the Greens' co-state chairman, described the result as bittersweet. "We clearly did not succeed in sparking enthusiasm for our objectives. Instead, we seem to have evoked a feeling that we're overstepping people with our measures," he commented on Monday. It's no secret that the government style of the traffic light coalition in Berlin has been criticized heavily. Achtermeyer noted, "In North Rhine-Westphalia, we adopt a different approach."

AfD's Electoral Success in North Rhine-Westphalia

The AfD boasts the highest approval rating in Gelsenkirchen with a score of 21.7 percent. In the Ruhr area, the AfD gained its most effective results in Bottrop and Duisburg. Vincentz, the party and faction leader of the AfD in North Rhine-Westphalia, attributed the gains for the AfD to their strong support from workers, employees, and self-employed people. In these social classes, it is evident that citizens feel unfulfilled by the traffic light government in Berlin, noted Vincentz during a conversation on WDR5. People have considerable concerns about the future and observe that nothing meaningful is happening in the country and the federal government.

FDP Received 6.3% (2019: 6.7) and BSW with 4.4%

The FDP has earned 6.3 percent while the recently-founded Sahra Wagenknecht Bundle (BSW) received 4.4 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia. For the BSW, Thomas Geisel, the former Düsseldorf mayor who switched from the SPD to the BSW, was elected as an MP in the European Parliament. The voter turnout marginally improved in North Rhine-Westphalia according to the state electoral commissioner, clocking in at 63.4%.

According to initial figures, North Rhine-Westphalia is set to provide 20 of Germany's 96 MEPs to the European Parliament. The CDU secured the most seats with six, which is the same amount they had previously.

The SPD from North Rhine-Westphalia is projected to have only two representatives (compared to four in 2019), while the Greens will only send three (also four in 2019). The German Green party leader and chairwoman of their European Parliamentary faction, Terry Reintke, is among this group. The AfD also gained two seats, while the FDP from NRW is sending two members as well, including the German FDP party leader and prominent defense politician, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann.

The BSW, the Left, the Animal Welfare Party, the Family Party, and the PdF each won one seat for their North Rhine-Westphalia candidates. The newly elected European Parliament will comprise 720 members in total, with no threshold for the election.

For more details on voter turnout, election results, and German European elections: IT.NRW Election Dashboard.

Preliminary results: NRW 2024 report by the state electoral commissioner.