In Lower Saxony, CDU maintains lead in European elections.

The government branch where laws are made and debated. Parliament is the legislative branch of a government where members discuss and approve or disapprove of laws, making sure they are in the best interest of the people. - In Lower Saxony, CDU maintains lead in European elections.

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Lower Saxony has emerged as the top party in the recent European elections, with 31.4% of voters' support. This marks an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to the 2019 elections. Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) came second with 19.5%, dropping slightly from their previous position.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became the third strongest force, improving their result by more than 5 percentage points to 13.2%. The Greens experienced a massive loss, obtaining just 12.2% compared to their earlier 23.7% share. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) managed to gain slightly, recording 5.3% support. Newcomer Left Alliance (BSW) climbed up from zero to 4.5%.

Representatives from the SPD, CDU, Greens, and AfD are scheduled to discuss the European election results in the Lower Saxony state parliament in Hanover on Monday.

Approximately 64.1% of the eligible population in Lower Saxony participated in the voting process, which is 2.6 percentage points higher than in 2019. Over six million people were eligible to vote. Young individuals aged 16 and 17 were able to exercise their voting right for the first time in a European election in Germany. The previous minimum voting age was 18, and about 138,000 young individuals in Lower Saxony were able to cast their ballots.

Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD) shared his dismay over the result of his party. "This is a terrible result for the SPD nationwide, as well as in all the states," Weil told Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). He had already started from a low base and underperformed once again, added the Minister President. "There's nothing pretty to say about that, and that applies to Lower Saxony as well." He emphasized that the result should serve as a wake-up call for the federal level.

Calculations suggest that the SPD is currently ranked third in Germany's European election behind the CDU and AfD. The SPD's estimated support decreased from 15.8% (2019) to 14%. This would be their worst-ever performance in any federal election.

CDU state chairman: CDU aims to lead Lower Saxony in 2027

CDU state chairman Sebastian Lechner told NDR that the Union's objective is to build on their European election result and become the government in Lower Saxony by 2027. Greens state chairman Greta Garlichs remarked about her party's significant losses: "It was predictable that we couldn't reach the 2019 result in an already challenging, polarizing election campaign. The political climate was dominated by federal topics and rampant disinformation online." Although dissatisfied, she said.

AfD parliamentary group leader Klaus Wichmann called for reforms within the EU, as he was unsatisfied with its current state. He criticized what he described as "bureaucratic madness." The EU failed to address issues like securing external borders, said Wichmann. He suggested that a reform of the EU was necessary. If this were unsuccessful, leaving the EU should be considered.

The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, voted in her native lower region of Hanover on Sunday morning. Although the election results promise a second tenure for von der Leyen, the exact outcome is yet to be determined.

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1. The Green Party in Germany, formally known as Alliance 90/The Greens, suffered a significant loss in the European elections in Lower Saxony, dropping from 23.7% in 2019 to only 12.2%.
2. The strong showing of the AfD in Lower Saxony has raised concerns within the European Union, with AfD parliamentary group leader Klaus Wichmann calling for reforms due to the EU's failure to address issues like securing external borders.
3. The SPD, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, is currently ranked third in Germany's European election behind the CDU and AfD, a disappointing result for the party that has traditionally done well in elections.
4. Meanwhile, in neighboring Hanover, which is part of Lower Saxony, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, originally from Hanover, cast her vote in the European elections, despite the uncertainty of the exact outcome for her second tenure.
5. In the aftermath of the European elections, the CDU, led by state chairman Sebastian Lechner, has set its sights on becoming the government in Lower Saxony by 2027, building on their successful European election result.
6. The Greens state chairman Greta Garlichs acknowledged the significant losses her party suffered in the European elections in Lower Saxony, saying that it was predictable given the challenges of the election campaign and the predominance of federal topics.
7. Despite the lower participation rate in the 2019 elections, approximately 64.1% of eligible voters in Lower Saxony cast their ballots in the recent European elections, with over six million people eligible to vote and nearly 138,000 young individuals aged 16-17 participating for the first time.

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