Voters in Rhineland-Palatinate, the western German state of about 4.2 million people, went to the polls as the second of five state elections this year. Seen as a barometer for the national coalition, the contest tested a state governed by the Social Democrats (SPD) for 35 years and, since 2024, administered by a “traffic light” coalition of SPD, Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens. Roughly 2.95 million people were eligible to vote. SPD leader Alexander Schweitzer, 52, who succeeded Malu Dreyer, cast his ballot in Bad Bergzabern; the CDU’s candidate was Gordon Schnieder, 50.
Pre-election surveys showed a tight race: some polls put the CDU slightly ahead (around 28%) versus the SPD (around 27%), though personal-preference polling had Schweitzer substantially ahead of Schnieder as preferred premier. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) had surged in several polls, the FDP risked falling below the 5% threshold for parliamentary seats, and the Greens appeared to have lost ground. If no party emerged clearly dominant, observers saw a grand coalition between CDU and SPD as a likely eventual outcome. Polling stations were set to close at 6 p.m. local time; turnout in 2021 had been 64.3%. The AfD’s performance was under particular scrutiny after its recent gains elsewhere and amid concerns about the party’s challenge to democratic norms.
Key national and regional developments alongside the election:
– Germany and Japan deepen defence ties: German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius met his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi at the Yokosuka naval base, emphasizing closer cooperation on armaments and crisis response amid shifting security challenges. Talks included defence-industry representatives and built on a framework in place since 2021 for exchanging classified information on weapons systems. Pistorius’s Asia trip also included stops in Singapore and Australia.
– Civil-protection lessons proposed for schools: Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) proposed that schools introduce a twice-yearly double lesson on civil protection, covering how to cope with blackouts, floods, terror attacks or war. He argued that pupils could act as crisis-management ambassadors to their families and plans to present the idea at the next interior ministers’ conference.
– Protest against pornographic deepfakes and digital violence: A rally at the Brandenburg Gate organized by Feminist Fight Club! highlighted digital sexualized violence amid a high-profile case involving allegations of AI-generated explicit images and online impersonation. TV presenter Collien Fernandes supported the demonstration. The person accused in the case has denied the claims and signalled legal action against what he says is one-sided reporting.
– Bavaria local elections and Munich mayoral run-off: Bavaria held run-off contests across 29 districts and more than 250 municipalities. In Munich, incumbent mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) faced Green candidate Dominik Krause after a weak first-round performance by Reiter. The CSU recorded a historically poor first-round result — its worst since 1952 — while the AfD made notable gains in the state.
– Retail closures and shrinking city centres: The German Retail Association (HDE) warned that the number of brick-and-mortar retail outlets could fall below 300,000 in 2026 for the first time since reunification, projecting about 296,000 stores after continued pandemic-era closures. The association blamed online competition and urged policy measures to reduce energy and labour costs.
– Lufthansa trials reduced cleaning measures: Lufthansa began testing a “light cleaning” regime on roughly 20 intra-European routes, limiting between-flight cleaning to bathrooms and optional seat-pocket clearing. The pilot uses spot checks and adjusts external cleaning staffing and timings as an efficiency measure.
– Motorsport: Verstappen disqualified after Nürburgring result: Max Verstappen and his co-drivers were initially declared winners of a four-hour Nürburgring endurance race but were later disqualified because the team used seven tyre sets instead of the six allowed. Verstappen described the circuit as “the craziest race track in the world” and used the race as preparation ahead of the 24-hour event in May.
– Diesel prices near record highs: Diesel prices in Germany rose amid volatility linked to the wider Middle East conflict, with the nationwide daily average reaching €2.291 per litre, just shy of the all-time high. Prices have climbed since the onset of the conflict involving Iran, and fuel firms faced criticism for mark-ups beyond crude-cost increases.
– Protests and transport disruption: A 1,100-person human chain in Berlin’s Rudow area protested racism and right-wing violent extremism on the International Day Against Racism. In Hamburg, a 24-hour Verdi strike halted U-Bahn services and affected many bus routes, stranding commuters; suburban rail and harbour ferries were not affected, and talks were due to resume.
Live coverage and reaction to the Rhineland-Palatinate vote focused on what the result would signal for the national governing coalition: whether the SPD could retain leadership after three decades, whether the CDU could take control, how far the AfD would climb, and whether smaller parties like the FDP and Greens would meet the threshold to enter the state parliament.