Overview

• Latest WDR projections put the CDU at about 33.3%, the SPD at 22.1% at a new low, the AfD near 14.8–15% with a roughly 10‑point gain, and the Greens around 13.1–13.3% with steep losses.
• The AfD reached Oberbürgermeister runoffs in Gelsenkirchen (29.8% vs. SPD’s 37.0%) and Duisburg (19.7% vs. SPD’s 46.0%), with Hagen also closely contested for a runoff spot.
• Many major cities head to Stichwahlen on September 28, including Cologne (Berivan Aymaz, Greens, vs. Torsten Burmester, SPD), Düsseldorf (incumbent Stephan Keller, CDU, vs. Clara Gerlach, Greens) and Dortmund (Thomas Westphal, SPD, vs. Alexander Omar Kalouti, CDU).
• Turnout rose to about 56.5%, higher than in 2020, underscoring the broader significance of the municipal results in Germany’s most populous state.
• NRW’s Hendrik Wüst called the CDU the clear winner but warned about AfD gains, AfD leader Martin Vincentz hailed a voter shift, and SPD and Greens signaled reassessments as parties prepare runoff strategies.