Overview

• In Paderborn the AfD finished first with 24.5 percent, won in Detmold with 27.9 percent, and took 26.2 percent in Bottrop to place a close second to the SPD by two votes.
• In Paderborn 9,016 of 44,563 eligible residents with migration background voted (20.2 percent), giving the AfD four of the 15 directly elected seats on a 22‑member council with limited formal authority.
• Established parties did not field their own lists in Paderborn and Detmold, leaving space for the AfD alongside national‑origin slates and independents.
• Researchers and local politicians report particularly strong receptivity among people with postsoviet backgrounds, with a DeZIM study finding about 29 percent in that group open to voting for the AfD.
• AfD representatives say they will press local issues such as conditions at foreigners' authorities and emphasize support for well‑integrated residents, while figures like Paderborn’s incumbent council chair Recep Alpan voice alarm over the result.