In the Thuringia elections, the CDU successfully defends against AfD attacks in numerous instances.
Thuringia's decision is here, and voter turnout is looking weaker than it was five years ago. The CDU is experiencing a surge in popularity, with victories in big cities as well. The AfD, on the other hand, often comes up short, the Left party is facing difficulties, and a radical right-wing extremist has something to celebrate.
Thuringia brought in a year of super local elections three months ahead of the state parliamentary elections. Around 1.7 million residents were urged to vote for municipal parliaments and mayors. Local elections are a valuable indicator of public opinion, especially when it comes to the well-known AfD, which the state's constitution guards deem as securely extremist. The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) is participating in the state's municipal elections for the first time this year, hoping to gain a seat in the upcoming Erfurt state parliament. There's a lot of interest in the results, with the election server of the Statistical Office of the State crashing at around 8 p.m.
Polling stations closed at 6 p.m., but in Mühlhausen, voting continued a while longer. There was a large crowd at the polling station, and those who arrived before closing time were still allowed to vote. The "Thuringian General Newspaper" reported earlier about long lines and missing ballot papers in Jena. In some parts of the city, more ballot boxes were needed, says District Election Officer Matthias Bettenhauser. This is mostly due to the many large neighborhoods. "In Winzerla, the demand was so great that we had to deliver ballot papers," he explains. Ballot papers were also ordered in the Jena city center.
By 4 p.m., the voter turnout was 46.2%, according to the "Leipzig City Newspaper". This is slightly lower compared to the municipal and European elections of 2019, which had a turnout of 48.5% at the same time. It was initially reported that the voter turnout was slightly higher than five years ago, but that's no longer the case. The voter turnout in the elections for districts and mayors varied significantly. Jena had a much lower voter turnout of 49.5%, while Weimar had a significant turnout of 68%. Around 30,000 election workers are currently counting the votes.
CDU wins town hall in Altenbeuthen
The first mayor is already set around 6:30 p.m. in the municipality of Altenbeuthen in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district: Lothar Linke from the non-partisan camp earned 75.5% of the votes, while Wolfram Henrik from the CDU received 24.5% of the votes.
In the state capital Erfurt, CDU candidate Andreas Horn is leading with 27.5% of the votes counted so far. SPD candidate Andreas Bausewein is in second place with 22.2% of the votes counted. Stefan Möller from the AfD is currently in third place with 18.9% of the votes.
The counting is going well in the city of Suhl (with an estimated population of 37,000). After 6:35 p.m., 18 of the 40 electoral districts had been counted. CDU candidate André Knapp is on track for a new term as mayor, with 82.2% of the votes. Left candidate Steffen Hartwig is currently in second place with 17.8% of the votes.
Weimar's results were counted quickly. Incumbent Peter Kleine from the CDU has returned to the town hall. He was already leading in voting for mail-in ballots with a significant advantage - he had an overwhelming majority of over 70% of the votes the entire night. Stefan Giebel from the Left Party is currently in second place with about 10% of the votes. No candidate from the AfD is running in the city.
The Left Party is not doing very well overall, but they do have a bright spot in the mayor's race in Sömmerda. Incumbent Ralf Hauboldt received 42.1% of the votes, bastian wulf from the CDU got 28.7%, but both are likely to face a run-off, as AfD candidate Michael Bellstedt only managed to get 23.3% of the votes.
AfD candidates are behind in Ilm-Kreis. Bob-Olympic champion André Lange, who was nominated by the CDU without any party affiliation, is currently in third place with 23.2% of the votes after 43 of 136 voting districts. AfD candidate Ralf Gohritz is in second place with 26.4% of the votes. Incumbent Petra Enders leads with 45.2% of the votes.
The Right-Wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) is also struggling in the Kyffhäuserkreis. As per the MDR's report, 67 out of the 119 polling districts have been counted. The SPD candidate Antje Hochwind-Schneider has garnered 44.2% of the votes, while AfD's Andreas Hartung-Schettler stands at 35.2%, and the CDU's Sven Osterheld has 20.5% of the votes.
In the Altenburger Land, the AfD candidate Heiko Philipp is in the lead with 33% of the votes. Following close behind is the CDU's Uwe Melzer with 32.3%. The Left Party's Frank Tempel stands at 14.5%, and the SPD's Alexander Paulicks has 7.4% of the votes.
In the Hildburghausen district, the right-wing extremist Tommy Frenck might make it through to the Landrat race's runoff. The MDR reports that, after counting 89 out of the 128 polling districts, Frenck has 24.9% of the votes. The Free Voters' Sven Gregor is currently leading with 44% of the votes. The CDU's candidate Dirk Lindner has received 22.8% of the votes.
According to the "Leipziger Volkszeitung," 13 district council chairmen and 5 mayors of the free cities are predicted to have runoffs.
Humorous anecdotes: The skiing hub of Oberhof has a new mayor. Non-partisan candidate Daniel Fischer won 95.2% of the votes after counting all 800 ballots. He had no opposition. However, 37 voters jokingly voted for others. In Fretterode, Eichsfeld district, there was no candidate for the mayoral race. The outgoing honorary mayor Mike Gunkel didn't run again. Despite this, the majority of voters still wrote him on their ballots, earning him 71.6% of the votes.
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The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) is participating in Thuringia's municipal elections for the first time, aiming to secure a seat in the upcoming Erfurt state parliament. Despite this, they are facing difficulties in the elections. [('The Left', 'Thuringia', 'BSW', 'municipal elections', 'Erfurt', 'state parliament')]
The SPD is currently facing a lesser impact in the Thuringia elections, seeing its popularity dwindle compared to the CDU. [('SPD', 'Thuringia', 'CDU', 'elections')]
Alliance 90/The Greens, who have usually been a strong force in Thuringia, have not been successful in defending against the AfD attacks and are lagging behind in the elections. [('Alliance 90/The Greens', 'AfD', 'Thuringia', 'elections')]
The FDP, on the other hand, is experiencing a slight surge in popularity in the Thuringia elections, which could lead to them consolidating some positions against its competitors. [('FDP', 'Thuringia', 'elections')]
Source: www.ntv.de
