CDU Ends 35 Years of SPD Rule in Rhineland-Palatinate with Historic Election Victory

The CDU won the state election in Rhineland-Palatinate on March 22, 2026, ending nearly 35 years of SPD rule in the western German state, with lead candidate Gordon Schnieder projected to become the new Minister-President. According to projections by ARD and ZDF at 21:15, the CDU received 30.8 to 30.9 percent of the vote, up from 27.7 percent in 2021. The SPD of incumbent Minister-President Alexander Schweitzer crashed to a historic low of 25.8 to 25.9 percent, down sharply from 35.7 percent five years ago. The AfD more than doubled its share to 19.6 to 19.8 percent, its best result in any western German state election. Voter turnout reached 69.3 to 69.5 percent, up from 64.3 percent in 2021. The FDP, Free Voters, and The Left all failed to clear the five-percent threshold and will not enter the state parliament in Mainz.

Schnieder celebrates, Schweitzer rules out cabinet role Gordon Schnieder, a 50-year-old tax official and CDU parliamentary group chairman in the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament, declared victory to thunderous applause from supporters in Mainz. „The CDU Rhineland-Palatinate is back!” — Gordon Schnieder via Der Tagesspiegel Schnieder also called on the SPD, the likely coalition partner in a grand coalition, for a clear change in policy, saying there could be no continuation of the previous course. Projections gave the CDU 37 to 39 seats in the state parliament and the SPD 31 or 32, which together would likely constitute a two-thirds majority. Alexander Schweitzer, who took over as Minister-President from long-serving Malu Dreyer in July 2024, conceded defeat and praised the CDU's campaign. „Tonight we are feeling trends that are strong and whose causes do not lie in Rhineland-Palatinate. And we should always make that clear to ourselves as well.” — Alexander Schweitzer via Der Tagesspiegel Schweitzer said he would not join a CDU-led cabinet, adding that he would carry out his duties as Minister-President until the last day of his term.

SPD faces calls for leadership consequences after double blow The defeat in Rhineland-Palatinate compounded an already dire evening for the SPD, which also lost Munich City Hall on the same day after more than 40 years, according to reporting by N-tv. SPD Secretary General Tim Klüssendorf acknowledged on ARD that responsibility for the result lay with the federal party, not with Schweitzer, noting the SPD had been polling at around 15 percent at the federal level for months and had recently fallen to 12 percent. „There must now be clear reactions if one does not want to stand by idly and watch the decline of the SPD. The party leadership has so far found no sufficient answers — the chairpersons are doing government work, but there is a complete lack of a sense of new departure or a convincing narrative for the SPD.” — Philipp Türmer via stern.de Philipp Türmer, the chairman of the Jusos, directed his criticism squarely at the SPD's federal leadership. SPD Bundestag member Ralf Stegner described the party's situation on the social media platform X as "in mortal danger," warning that a "business as usual" approach was no longer an option following a "series of shocking SPD defeats." Stegner noted it was particularly alarming that the party had failed even where it fielded a "strong and popular" leading candidate backed by a record of government work. 35 (years) — SPD held Rhineland-Palatinate government before Sunday's defeat

CDU gains federal momentum, but coalition stability now in question The victory in Rhineland-Palatinate gave Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the CDU a boost at the federal level, coming two weeks after a narrower result in Baden-Württemberg where the Greens edged ahead of the CDU. CDU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn said at the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus in Berlin that the result "gives momentum at the federal level." However, analysts and commentators noted the SPD's weakening poses a direct risk to the stability of the federal grand coalition in Berlin. The Handelsblatt described the outcome as a "Pyrrhic victory" for Merz, arguing that pushing through major reform projects would become harder with an SPD in existential crisis. Tagesschau commentary noted that Merz and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil had built a working relationship of trust, but that Klingbeil was now clearly weakened. The CDU's goal of providing ten state Minister-Presidents simultaneously remained out of reach, with the tally likely standing at nine after the spring election cycle. Rhineland-Palatinate has been governed by the SPD since 1991, with prominent figures including Rudolf Scharping, Kurt Beck, and Malu Dreyer serving as Minister-President over more than three decades. The state is historically associated with former CDU Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who was born there. The FDP had been part of a three-way traffic-light coalition in the state alongside the SPD and Greens for the past ten years before Sunday's vote.