NRW elections: This is how the parties react-“can’t sleep calmly”

In the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, the CDU remains the strongest force, the SPD continues to lose ground in its mainland, the Greens fall-and the AfD places significantly. What does that mean? The reactions of the parties at a glance.

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst has responded to the clear gains of the AfD. “This result has to give us thinking, it cannot let us sleep calmly either. Even my party, who won this choice so clearly,” said Wüst in the ARD “Report from Berlin”.

All democratic parties face challenges that the AfD is likely to have more than tripled its result compared to the past local elections. Everyone would have to ask themselves: “What are the right answers in terms of poverty migration? Are all parts of our social systems really fair? What about problem properties?” Said Wüst.

According to Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn, the outcome also helps the black and red coalition in the federal government. “The strong result in North Rhine-Westphalia is the reward for good work on site. But there is also a tailwind for the coalition in Berlin,” said the CDU politician of the German Press Agency, which is coming from Westphalia.

The result is an incentive for calm pragmatic work. This is rewarded by people, as you can see. “The growth of the extreme right must be a wake -up call to all of us: poverty migration, social abuse and too often failed integration must not be taboo,” said Spahn.

The SPD chairman Bärbel Bas and Lars Klingbeil reacted disappointed to the outcome of the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. “It is true that we couldn’t stop the downward trend,” said BAS in the WDR. “Of course, the results don’t make me happy,” she added. However, they are not a disaster. According to the losses of its party, BAS sees as a task of the SPD to “re -make politics that moves the employees”.

With regard to the federal government, she demands that the agreed investments now have to be implemented quickly. “The investments must now be advertised quickly,” she says in the WDR. In particular, people in the Ruhr area would have to notice that what the federal government had undertaken “now also noticeably arrives in the communities”.

Bas’ Co-Chairman Klingbeil told the German Press Agency that the economic situation had driven the voters the most. “We will not let up when it comes to economic growth and safe jobs. That has priority for us.”

Greens Central Center Felix Banaszak sees the weak performance of his party as a result of a fundamental political shift. “Ecological, progressive politics has a hard time,” said Banaszak in the WDR.

For the Greens, it is now important to embody a “credible alternative to this fundamental legal pressure in this society”. The question is: “Who gives people hope and confidence who do not want to see that everything is now drifting in such a direction as we experience it in the USA?”

The FDP chairman Christian Dürr pointed out the current situation of the liberals. “We free Democrats are in the middle of a renewal to regain the lost trust of the people,” he told the German Press Agency. “I am grateful that so many candidates fought for the FDP on site, because that gives this renewal tailwind.”

AfD boss Tino Chrupalla described the performance of his party as a success. “The first forecasts expect the AfD to have tripled its votes in the local elections in NRW,” he wrote to X. There was a great success. “We are the People’s Party and all have a great responsibility for Germany.”

AfD state chief Martin Vincentz said: “The first counts clearly show it: NRW wants less” keep it up “and more AfD-much more!” The local elections are more than a pure coordination of the mayor, city councilors and district councils. “It was a referendum on the direction of our country. And whoever ignores the will of the voters will be punished by the voters.” The AfD has an increasingly clear proportion of real regular voters.

The Gelsenkirchen AfD member of the state parliament Enxhi Seli-Zacharias said in the WDR: “We cemented our electorate. It is no longer a pure frustration or a tactical choice.”

The left-wing chairman Jan van Aken called the performance of his party as terrific. “This is a great result for the left-we not only achieved our goal, but exceeded it! The upswing of the left continues and that gives us the tailwind for the upcoming elections,” he said after a first forecast of the WDR of the German press agency in Berlin.

Die Linke listened to humans and took over their topics in the election campaign. “We are now moving into the district councils across the board – this is a victory of hope of fainting in the everyday life of people and the beginning of much more,” said van Aken.