"According to final opinion polls, Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union is on course to retain its dominant position in the state, with about 35% of the vote. The far-right populist AfD has been polling at about 16%, between two and three times its performance in the state's last local elections five years ago, giving its candidates who are running for mayoral positions a considerable chance of reaching second-round votes in two weeks' time."
"Countrywide attention on the vote will focus in particular on whether AfD can repeat the big gains it has made in the states of the former communist east. The vote is taking place against the backdrop of a weakened German economy, rising unemployment and growing unease over immigration the AfD's key issue. Merz has pledged to get the economy back on track, reduce immigration and cut the far right down to size."
Voters in North Rhine-Westphalia are casting ballots in local elections where the far-right AfD is expected to make significant gains. The state contains nearly a quarter of Germany's population and is viewed as a national bellwether. Final polls give the CDU about 35% and the AfD about 16%, two to three times its 2019 local result, improving its chances of mayoral second-rounds. The vote occurs amid a weakened economy, rising unemployment and heightened immigration concerns. Merz promises economic recovery, immigration reduction and to curb the far right. The SPD faces survival battles in former coalmining areas. Greater AfD local success would strain mainstream parties' refusal to cooperate.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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