North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2017

Regional Elections in Germany during 2017

+ Saarland state election, 26 March 2017
+ Schleswig-Holstein state election, 7 May 2017
+ North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 14 May 2017

Reports previewing and analysing the results of the elections in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany held on the 14 May 2017 - the last of the regional elections in Germany before the Federal Elections to be held on the 24 September 2017.

Results on the 14 May 2017 showed that Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) had supplanted the long governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the state. The CDU won 33% of the vote against the SPD 31.2%, with the Free Democrats (FDP) 12.6%, the AfD 7.4% and the Greens 6.4%

The win for the CDU was the third successive victory in 2017 regional elections, following Saarland
and Schleswig-Holstein.

Commentators suggested that the results gave optimism to Chancellor Merkel and the CDU that they might secure a fourth election victory in the German federal elections in September 2017.

ESO: Key Source: German federal election, 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/german-federal-election-2017/

Deutsche Welle, 10.05.17: North Rhine-Westphalia votes: What to look for in key German state election http://p.dw.com/p/2chWX

Deutsche Welle: Tag: Lower Saxony http://www.dw.com/en/media-center/all-media-content/s-100826?filter=lower+saxony

The Local.de, 11.05.17: Merkel's party faces election dry run in bellwether state https://www.thelocal.de/20170511/merkels-party-faces-election-dry-run-in-bellwether-state

The Local.de: Tag: Lower Saxony https://www.thelocal.de/tag/lower+saxony

Deutsche Welle, 14.05.17: Merkel's CDU unseats ruling SPD in crucial German state election http://p.dw.com/p/2cwmG

BBC News, 14.05.17: Angela Merkel's CDU 'seizes key state from rivals' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39914333

Politico, 14.05.17: Merkel’s conservatives score windfall victory in key regional election http://www.politico.eu/article/merkels-conservatives-score-windfall-victory-in-key-regional-election/

EurActiv, 15.05.17: Merkel’s party bags key victory in bellwether state vote http://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/news/merkels-party-bags-key-victory-in-bellwether-state-vote/

Deutsche Welle, 15.05.17: What does the victory of Merkel's CDU in a regional election spell for Germany? http://p.dw.com/p/2cxYa

The Local.de, 14.05.17: Merkel's party bags key victory in bellwether state vote https://www.thelocal.de/20170514/merkels-party-bags-key-victory-in-bellwether-state-vote

Politico, 15.05.17: 3 takeaways from Martin Schulz’s election disaster http://www.politico.eu/article/3-takeaways-from-the-spds-election-disaster-in-north-rhine-westphalia/

The Guardian, 14.05.17: [Editorial]: The Guardian view on the German elections: Angela Merkel keeps winning https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/14/the-guardian-view-on-german-elections-angela-merkel-keeps-winning

EUObserver, 15.05.17: Schulz fails to win elections in German home state https://euobserver.com/elections/137897

The Conversation, 14.05.17: Merkel’s way looks clear after German regional elections derail her main rival https://theconversation.com/merkels-way-looks-clear-after-german-regional-elections-derail-her-main-rival-77692

Euro|Topics: Debates, May 2017: Watershed election in key German state http://www.eurotopics.net/en/179206/watershed-election-in-key-german-state

Carnegie Europe: Strategic Europe, 15.05.17: Germany’s Ideas-Deficit Opposition http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/69968?lang=en

---