Despite experiencing losses, the CDU remained the strongest force in the local elections across Lower Saxony. After counting votes in all 45 electoral districts, the Christian Democrats secured 27.2 percent of the votes in the district elections, marking a decline of 4.5 percentage points compared to the 2021 election.
The AfD emerged as the biggest winner, increasing its support by 11.3 percentage points to reach 15.9 percent. The SPD saw a decrease of 5.4 percentage points, finishing with 24.6 percent of the vote. The Greens took third place with 14.1 percent (-1.8 percentage points), ahead of the Left Party, which gained 3.2 percentage points to reach 6.0 percent. The FDP dropped to 3.7 percent (-2.8 percentage points). Smaller groups including Voters for Climate Action received 5.1 percent (-0.5 percentage points), while other parties managed 3.4 percent (+0.5 percentage points).
Voter turnout was 64.6 percent, which is 7.6 percentage points higher than in 2021. Approximately 6.3 million eligible voters were called upon to decide the composition of over 2,000 different municipal councils for the next five years. Additionally, the elections included direct contests for district administrators, mayors, and city mayors, as well as for the regions president of Hannover, although runoff elections will still be required in the largest cities for these positions.
The electoral process in Lower Saxony was closely watched in mainland Germany. Expectations were high, as results were seen as providing further insight into the state’s political mood ahead of state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Berlin. A particular focus was on the extent to which the AfD had solidified its position in this large Western German state.
