CDU and SPD lead Lower Saxony local elections as AfD surges to 15.9%

Election outcomes across Lower Saxony

In the Lower Saxony local elections held on 13 September 2026, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) finished in first place with 27.2% of county-level votes, down from 31.7% in 2021. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) took second place with 24.6%, representing a decrease of 5.4 percentage points from its 30.0% result in 2021. Alternative for Germany (AfD) placed third at 15.9%, more than tripling its 4.6% share from the previous local election. The Greens took 14.1%, down from 15.9% in 2021, while The Left secured 6.0% after recording 2.8% five years earlier. Voter turnout across the state rose to 64.6%. The geographic results placed the CDU ahead in western and northern districts, while the SPD retained relative strength in eastern, southern, and northwestern Frisian regions.

CDU27.2%

SPD24.6%

AfD15.9%

Greens14.1%

The Left6%

CDU

27.2 %

SPD

24.6 %

AfD

15.9 %

Greens

14.1 %

The Left

6 %

Data from the article text

Shifts in local council representation

The voting results broadened the municipal footprint of the AfD throughout the state. Alexander Hensel from the Göttingen Institute for Democracy Research observed that the party tripled its county-level seats and quintupled its council seats at the municipal level. Philipp Köker from Leibniz University Hannover stated that the AfD fell short of its federal polling figures, pointing toward lower mobilization in Lower Saxony ahead of the 2027 state election. In the industrial city of Salzgitter, the AfD took first place in the council election with roughly 27% of the vote. Researchers linked the Salzgitter result to economic uncertainty, social structure pressures, and declining support for the SPD in an area that historically served as a social democratic stronghold.

“It can act much more broadly and in individual places also more concentratedly, and can thus become significantly more capable of action in local politics.”

Mayoral contests heading to September runoffs

Voters across multiple municipalities and districts will return to polling stations on 27 September 2026 for second-round runoff elections. In the state capital Hannover, incumbent Green mayor Belit Onay secured 45.6% of the first-round vote, leading SPD challenger Axel von der Ohe who received 21.5%. In Salzgitter, incumbent CDU mayor Frank Klingebiel took 45.6% and faces AfD candidate Patricia Mair, who won 25.7%. In Osnabrück, incumbent CDU mayor Katharina Pötter (42.2%) will compete against Green candidate Volker Bajus (22.3%), while in Braunschweig, SPD incumbent Thorsten Kornblum (43.3%) faces CDU challenger Maximilian Pohler (17.2%). Runoffs will also decide the mayoralties of Delmenhorst, Oldenburg, and Göttingen, alongside more than a dozen district chief offices including Region Hannover, Aurich, and Goslar.

Belit Onay (Greens)45.6%

Axel von der Ohe (SPD)21.5%

Belit Onay (Greens)

45.6 %

Axel von der Ohe (SPD)

21.5 %

Data from the article text

Party reactions and federal policy debates

Lower Saxony SPD leader and Minister-President Olaf Lies called the result difficult for his party and noted that trust in established political organizations remains under strain. Following the vote, Lower Saxony CDU leader Sebastian Lechner urged a policy change from the federal government in Berlin, calling for lower social security contributions and direct citizen payouts of carbon tax revenues. Lechner specified that discussions regarding federal party leadership should wait until after upcoming state elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin. In Munich, CSU leader Markus Söder congratulated CDU and SPD local campaigners, describing their collective results as stable despite percentage losses. The Left co-leader Thorben Peters announced that his party secured more than 400 municipal mandates and is approaching 11,000 members, stating openness to future coalition discussions with the SPD and Greens for the 2027 state election.

“After that we will hold a debate in Berlin about the course of the federal government.”