CDU is expected to be the winner of the regional elections in Rhineland-Palatinate

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) are leading in the regional elections in the West German state of Rhineland-Palatinate over their centre-left coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD). This is according to forecasts published by public television after the polls closed.

The first forecast on the ARD television station after the polls closed showed the CDU taking 30.5 percent of the vote, ahead of the SPD on 27 percent, indicating a likely victory for Merz after his party narrowly lost an election in the neighbouring state of Baden-Württemberg to the Greens on 8 March.

It is also a good result for the SPD, which is still recovering from a disastrous result in Baden-Württemberg, where the party won only 5.5 percent of the vote and barely made it into the state parliament.

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has now established itself as Germany's second strongest party at national level, is expected to win around 20 percent of the vote, which is the same as the result it achieved in Baden-Württemberg. There it was 18.8 percent.

Depending on the final result, the CDU and the SPD may subsequently form a regional governing coalition, with CDU candidate Gordon Schnieder replacing the current SPD premier, Alexander Schweitzer.

(reuters, im)