by EuroNews
It’s published
•update
The central-right CDU party won the mayor of North Rhinewestphalia on Sunday, including Dortmund’s first non-social Democratic mayor since 1946, but the far-right AFD failed to occupy the city despite reaching outflows in three municipalities.
CDU candidate Alexander Karch defeated the Central Left SPD in Dortmund, ending the Social Democrats’ domination of Germany’s largest working-class city in ’78.
The Christian Democrats also won victory with Leverkusen and Billefeld.
“That hurts,” SPD state speaker Sarah Philip said after Dortmund’s loss.
The Social Democrats held Cologne, where Torsten Burmeister defeated Green candidate Beliban Aimaz, and Oberhausen, Gelsenkirchen, Woppertar, Mülheim & der Ruhr and the Greens won Munster from the CDU.
The AFD candidate reached the second round for the first time in state history, losing to Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen and Hagen, but lost to CDU and SPD opponents by a big margin.
Results for around 150 districts and cities showed the strength of CDUs in rural areas while SPD maintains control of the industrial centre. Düsseldorf remained controlled by the CDU, while Bochum stayed at the SPD.
Elections will act as a pioneer before federal votes, including far-right progress as mainstream parties compete for urban control.