SPD put to the test in key vote in North Rhine-Westphalia


BERLIN (Reuters) – Sunday’s election in Germany’s most populous state will be a test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), five months after taking office.

“North Rhine-Westphalia always sends an important signal for federal politics,” said Nico Siegel, executive director of the Infratest dimap pollster.

The SPD has dominated in North Rhine-Westphalia, home to more than a fifth of Germany’s population, and the Ruhr area, for most of the past fifty years.

But the party lost to former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) in the 2017 regional election. A few months later it also suffered an unrivaled defeat at federal level.

Before Sunday’s vote, the two parties were neck and neck in the polls, with the CDU enjoying a slight lead over the SPD with 32% against 28%, according to a survey published Thursday by INSA.

The elections in North Rhine-Westphalia are also seen as a boost for Germany’s Green Party, which could become the kingmaker.

The CDU has led the state in a coalition with the FDP since 2017. But even with its slight lead over the SPD, it may not be able to secure a majority with the FDP alone, which is credited 8% in the polls.

Polls recently gave the Greens 16%, meaning the SPD or CDU will likely need them to form a government.

(Report Riham Alkousaa; French version Camille Raynaud)

by Riham Alkousaa



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