By Jeremias Lin

( EurActiv ) — North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, went to the polls on Sunday. The municipal elections were the first vote since Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office and is seen as a litmus test for Berlin’s coalition government.

With voter turnout of nearly 57%, Merz’ conservative Christian Democrats are set to remain the strongest party, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) almost tripled its vote share compared to the last elections in 2020.

According to preliminary results, the CDU won 33.3% (2020: 34.3%), the Social Democrats (SPD) 22.1% (24.3%), the AfD 14.5% (5.1%), the Greens 13.5% (20.0%), and the Left 5.6% (3.8%).

“We are the number one local party,” CDU General Secretary Carsten Linneman told German public broadcasters

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