NRW election in the live blog: According to projections, the CDU wins the state election

The ZDF starts right away Berlin round. Politicians from the capital then talk about the election result in NRW. We accompany the program and summarize the most important statements for you here.

The first postal votes have now been counted and are included in the current extrapolation:

– CDU: 35.9 percent
– SPD: 27.1 percent
– Greens: 18.1 percent
– FDP: 5.3 percent
– AfD: 5.6 percent
– Left: 2 percent

The AfD still has to tremble to enter the state parliament. The party can claim almost six percent of the votes for itself, but also has to accept losses of almost two percent. Nevertheless, the state chairman Martin Vincentz is satisfied. The AfD have proven that they “no flash in the pan” may be. “We have a core electorate that we have now been able to mobilize again.”
Party leader Tino Chrupalla is less happy. “Of course, these results do not make us entirely satisfied.” nevertheless, he is confident that his party will be represented in the state parliament in the future.

“The CDU is back,” explains CDU federal leader Friedrich Merz and speaks of an “outstanding result” for Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst’s state party. “Our forward course has been confirmed,” added Merz.
https://twitter.com/_FriedrichMerz/status/1525876620745183233

The result is also disappointing for them left – it’s in sixth year in a row not in the state parliament creates. “The party is in a difficult situation at the moment,” party leader Janine Wissler comments on the result. At the upcoming federal party conference, the course would have to be set anew. At the end of June, the top of the Left Party wants to be completely reorganized. Wissler states that the goal is to regain trust and “to be (again) more with clear messages than with quarrels in the press”. She is convinced that a left-wing voice is needed in German politics.

And here comes the second official extrapolation from Infratest dimap:

– CDU: 35.5 percent
– SPD: 27.3 percent
– Greens: 18.3 percent
– FDP: 5.0 percent
– AfD: 5.7 percent
– Left: 2 percent

A bitter evening for SPD challenger Thomas Kutschaty: “We wanted to be the strongest party. We didn’t succeed.” Unfortunately, the result is not as high as the NRW-SPD had imagined, says a disappointed Kuchaty (Photo: Ina Fassbender / AFP). However, an election goal was achieved: “Deselecting black and yellow worked.”

At the same time, the SPD’s top candidate has signaled his party’s readiness for coalition talks. “There is absolutely no reason to bury your head in the sand now. We will not close our minds to talks.”

The SPD is not the only party to suffer major losses that evening. Also for them FDP the state elections in NRW are proving to be “heavy defeat”, as FDP Federal Vice Johannes Vogel says. “You just have to acknowledge that this is not a good evening for us.” The FDP has so far in coalition with the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia reigns. In the election she suffered heavy losses and only manages it according to forecasts just above the five percent hurdle. You have to tremble for the re-entry into the state parliament.

Also FDP defense politician Marie Agnes Strack Zimmermann Has horrified reacted to the poor performance of their party. “It’s a really horrible evening”, she says on ARD. The party got a “very bad result” in the West.

The new and old Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, appeared before the press to loud applause: “The CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia clearly won this election. The people have clearly made us the strongest force. That is the task of forming and leading a future government. I thank the people for this clear vote of confidence,” he says in front of his cheering supporters. “Team Wüst you are awesome,” the beaming election winner thanks his election workers, his own party and his coalition partner, the FDP.
https://twitter.com/HendrikWuest/status/1525880979780472832

And here comes the first official extrapolation from Infratest dimap:

– CDU: 35 percent
– SPD: 27.5 percent
– Greens: 18.4 percent
– FDP: 5 percent
– AfD: 5.9 percent
– Left: 2 percent

He is satisfied with his party’s performance: Union faction leader Jens Spahn speaks of a “great result” on ARD. Spahn emphasizes that the clear winners in North Rhine-Westphalia are the Christian Democrats and the Greens. The SPD, on the other hand, is “the big loser in the election” and therefore has no right to form a government. Anyone who still has government claims after such a “historically poor result” “cannot be helped,” said Spahn.

The deputy CDU chairman Karin Prien also sees a clear government mandate after the first forecast. “The CDU is clearly the strongest force, which clearly goes hand in hand with a government mandate for the CDU”she says on ZDF.

Great rejoicing at the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia: This is how we experience it star-Reporter Benedikt Becker the moment the forecast was announced at the election party:
https://twitter.com/BeneBecker/status/1525870098187227138

One thing is certain: the CDU has grown significantly again and is clearly the strongest force. For the SPD, on the other hand, it will be a bitter election evening, the party has achieved its worst result since 1947.
In addition to the CDU, the Greens can also look forward to their historically best result in NRW, while the FDP and AfD are only just above the five percent hurdle. The previous CDU/FDP coalition no longer has a majority. As in the past five years, the left does not make it into the state parliament.

And this is what the prognosis for ARD looks like: CDU: 35 percent, SPD: 27.5 percent, Greens: 18.5 percent, FDP: 5 percent, AFD: 6 percent, Left: 2 percent