ARD and ZDF projections for the Rhineland‑Palatinate state election point to an SPD defeat. The Social Democrats are expected to capture an average of 26.2 % of the vote – the worst result in the state’s history – while the CDU is projected to lead with about 30.8 %.
Based on party statements ahead of the poll, the outcome looks set to produce a grand coalition headed by CDU politician Gordon Schnieder. SPD state premier Alexander Schweitzer praised the Christian Democrats, saying, “It ultimately did not suffice for us, and we will form a proper government because that is what the people in Rhineland‑Palatinate deserve”.
The AfD follows in third place, averaging 20 % and more than doubling its prior share. The Greens, still part of a traffic‑light coalition in Mainz, fall into fourth position with 8.1 %. The FDP (2.2 %) and the Free Voters (4.0 %) would lose seats in the Landtag. The Left, with 4.4 %, also misses the five‑percent threshold, while other parties collectively average 4.6 %.
