Thuringian Local Elections: CDU prevails in substantial areas amidst gains by AfD

Local elections in Thuringia: CDU holds significant lead across many regions in spite of AfD's advance.

During the afternoon, a tally was conducted for nearly all of the district and city council elections. The CDU held the top spot with a 27.4% share, and the AfD trailed closely behind with 26%. Coalitions and alliances had approximately 20%, while the SPD earned 11.3%, the Left acquired 8.8%, and the Greens secured 3.9%. All three Thuringian government parties, the Left, SPD, and Greens, reported losses, as did the FDP.

In certain instances, the Christian Democrats achieved narrow victories. As an illustration, the CDU and AfD both held 27% in the Saale-Holzland district. However, the CDU gained about an extra hundred voter. The Christian Democrats also controlled the city councilors in the free cities of Jena, Weimar, Erfurt, and Suhl, while the AfD, classed as right-wing extremist by the Thuringian Constitutional Protection Agency, sustained their majority in Gera's city council.

Once the majority of votes were totaled, it was noticeable that the AfD and CDU would likely be the two strongest parties in eight out of the 17 districts. The Free Voters won the district council election in Hildburghausen.

In the initial round of the county and mayor elections, the AfD generally performed poorly, but in certain instances, they would continue on to the second round in two weeks. In the mayoral elections of the free cities, however, the AfD experienced failure.

Just one out of the 13 county commissioner positions had been decided by Sunday's vote. The SPD had protected their position in the first round in Schmalkalden-Meiningen district. In Altenburger Land district, AfD candidate Heiko Philipp claimed the most votes, but he must proceed to the second round. Last year, the AfD won the only county commissioner position in Thuringia.

Eight additional districts had second-placed AfD candidates moving on to the second round. In Hildburghausen district, notorious far-right figure and ex-NPD official, Tommy Frenck, alongside the Free Voters' candidate, Sven Gregor, advanced to the second round.

The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), a new player in the scene, obtained noteworthy results. They achieved double-digit percentages in several districts. In Gotha, Greiz, Sonneberg, and Wartburgkreis, the BSW garnered between 7.6% in Sonneberg to 12.4% in Gotha.

In an Ortsteil of Bleicherode in the Nordhausen district, Robert Henning, the BSW candidate, won the election for Ortschaftsbürgermeister. The BSW, which broke off from the Left Party, intends to join the upcoming European election and the state elections in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg in the autumn with the hope of entering the respective state parliaments.

Over 1.7 million people were invited to partake in the municipal election on Sunday. This election not only determined county commissioners, mayors, and city and town councils, but it also decided district councils. The municipal election was viewed as a barometer for public opinion ahead of Thuringia's state election on September 1st.

The Thuringian Greens expressed dissatisfaction with their attendance in the municipal elections, considering it a "setback." Max Reschke, the state chairman, stated that the election outcomes reflected "the unsettled temperament of the past few months, particularly against the Green Alliance." There was a marked tilt towards the right in the councils.

The German Association of Cities and Municipalities encouraged voters in Thuringia to participate in the runoff elections, stating that it was "astonishing" how certain extremists had made it into the runoff elections. Managing director André Berghegger explained to the newspapers of the Funke media group that it now involved enhancing democracy.

Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Greens) also saw no reason to take comfort in the municipal elections' outcomes. "The local election results are a tiny glimmer of hope, but they do not warrant letting out a sigh of relief," she said to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. Democracy requires more tenacious participants.