Voting Sessions - The AfD party triumphs in the European election within Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, potentially leading to forthcoming local elections overtaking the CDU.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had a sweepingly successful European election on Sunday, making it the unrivaled champion of the northeast. The preliminary results, shared early on Monday morning by the state election officer in Schwerin, show the party received 28.3% of the votes—a remarkable increase from its 17.7% win five years ago. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which had previously dominated every European election in the northeast but faced extensive losses in this round, secured 21.5% of the votes, significantly less than its 2019 share of 24.5%.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) experienced a significant loss, dropping behind the newly-formed Left party BSW, which participated in its first European election. BSW took home 16.4% of the votes. In stark contrast, the Left, which boasted 2019's second-highest share with 16.3%, went down to 4.9% of the total votes. The Greens suffered tremendous loss, falling from 10.8% in 2019 to a mere 4.8% this year. The Free Democrats (FDP) endured a drop from 3.9% to 2.6%. Voter turnout was notably greater in 2024 than it was in 2019, reaching 65.7%, compared to the 58.4% in the previous election.
Northern Germany's CDU and northeastern Germany's AfD are both at risk of losing their top spots in the municipal elections. Based on the fifth day of counting the votes, the AfD garnered a 26% share, while CDA collected a somewhat lower 24% portion. The Left, which had closely followed the CDU with 16.3% in 2019, is now anticipated to fall to just 9%. The SPD, previously 15.4%, is expected to attain roughly 13%.
Despite joining the race late by only fielding candidates for district councils in three of the six districts and in Rostock, Wagenknecht party BSW still managed to gain 6% of the votes. The performance of the Greens plummeted sharply from 10.3% to about 5%. The FDP is anticipated to achieve just 2.8%, nearly matching the 2.6% garnered by the Free Voters.
More than 2400 politicians were contending for 520 district council seats and the two city council seats in Rostock and Schwerin—votes that influence the national election outcome.
AfD's state leader, Leif-Erik Holm, was visibly pleased with the party's impressive European election result. "This is a fantastic achievement for us. Much gratitude to our voters—we claimed the top spot despite the constant smear campaigns," Holm expressed after initial federal calculations were released. These estimations placed the AfD as the second most influential party with approximately 16.5% of the national vote. Holm also viewed the election as a clear sign of people's discontent with the traffic light government in Berlin.
Christian Democratic Union's state head, Manuela Schwesig, displayed alarm over the AfD's emergence as the strongest force in eastern German states. "Neither democratic party can consider itself victorious today," she remarked. She found her party's performance discouraging and pinned the blame on the federal government. "Berlin's traffic light government must take note of this election result. Citizens want their problems addressed," Schwesig highlighted.
SPD suffered a decline from its national projections of 14%, worse than their 2019 result. However, it is likely that a Social Democrat from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will be a part of the European Parliament once again after a five-year hiatus, thanks to Sabrina Repp, a Rostock native.
CDU state leader Daniel Peters expressed delight in his reaction to the party's European election victory. "The Union has accomplished a spectacular feat," Peters remarked after learning of the estimations, which predicted Union's performance at 30% overall. Expressing his apprehension regarding the traffic light government in Berlin, Peters concluded, "This election highlights how disastrously chancellor Scholz has performed."
The Greens in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern voiced disappointment with their European election results. "The country's atmosphere has undergone major changes since 2019 and is now characterized by fear and unrest," Bremen's Green co-chairman Ole Krüger explained. Unfortunately, one Green from Rostock, Niklas Nienaß, failed to secure a spot in the European Parliament this time around.
