Lower Saxony holds local elections across 29,000 seats as AfD faces candidate bans

State-wide vote and turnout

Roughly 6.3 million eligible voters across Lower Saxony are called to the polls on Sunday to elect local councils, mayors, and county commissioners. Polling stations opened at 8:00 and remain open until 18:00 across cities, municipalities, and rural districts from the North Sea coast to the Harz mountains. More than 68,000 candidates are competing for over 29,000 municipal mandates. By 10:00, two hours into voting, statewide turnout stood at 7.60%, excluding postal ballots, according to the state electoral office. This marks a 0.97 percentage point increase compared to the 6.63% registered at the same hour during the 2021 local elections. First local direct election outcomes are expected starting around 19:00, followed by county tallies late in the evening.

Key races and political stakes

The ballot serves as the first statewide electoral test since Olaf Lies of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) took office as Minister-President, succeeding Stephan Weil. In the state capital of Hannover, home to 522,000 residents, Green Mayor Belit Onay is seeking re-election after taking office in 2019, when the Greens ended more than seven decades of continuous SPD rule in the city. Direct mayoral elections are also taking place across Oldenburg, Osnabrück, Braunschweig, and Göttingen. In the Hannover region, incumbent SPD president Steffen Krach is not seeking re-election, having taken leave in March to lead his party's campaign for the Berlin state parliament election. If the SPD misses a potential runoff in Hannover or experiences broad losses statewide, pressure could increase on party co-leader and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil.

Scrutiny and exclusions for the AfD

The local elections represent a measure of support for Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a western federal state, taking place between state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and upcoming votes in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In the 2021 Lower Saxony local elections, the AfD secured 4.6% of the vote at the district level and 2.2% in municipal council contests, while the CDU led with 31.7% ahead of the SPD at 30.0% and the Greens at 15.9%. In February, the state intelligence agency classified the Lower Saxony AfD association as a confirmed right-wing extremist entity, a decision the party is challenging through the courts. Under amended municipal electoral regulations granting local election authorities the power to review constitutional loyalty, four AfD candidates were barred from running. Among those disqualified is AfD state deputy leader Stephan Bothe in the Lüneburg district commissioner race, while state lawmaker Jessica Schülke remains on the ballot for the Hannover mayoralty.

Industrial crisis and voter priorities

The electoral campaign coincided with severe challenges at Volkswagen, which maintains its corporate headquarters in Wolfsburg and represents Lower Saxony's most significant industrial employer. In September, the carmaker announced plans to eliminate 50,000 jobs alongside potential plant closures and sales, placing the local economic outlook alongside traditional municipal issues such as public safety and infrastructure maintenance. Lower Saxony voters face their next state parliamentary election on 26 September 2027, with any necessary local runoff votes scheduled to take place on 27 September 2026.