CDU victory in Lake District: Thomas Müller trumps AfD challengers

CDU victory in Lake District: Thomas Müller trumps AfD challengers

On May 25, 2025, decisive stab elections for various political offices took place in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The results caused a sensation, especially in the Mecklenburg Lake District district. Thomas Müller from the CDU won the runoff election for the district office with 59.7 percent of the vote, while his opponent Enrico Schult only achieved 40.3 percent from the AfD. The turnout in this district was 44.7 percent, which represents a decline compared to the first round on May 11, which recorded a participation of 47.8 percent.

In the first round, Schult received 36.1 percent of the vote. The candidates of the SPD and left, who fell out of the race in the first round, mobilized their voters to vote for Müller and thus contributed to the turn in the runoff election. In addition, further stabbing elections took place in a total of three counties this Sunday.

results in other counties

In the district of Vorpommern-Rügen, incumbent Stefan Kerth (independent) successfully defended his post and prevailed with 75.1 percent of the votes against Carlos Dias Rodrigues from the AfD. The CDU was also successful in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district: incumbent Michael Sack won 61.4 percent against Inken Arndt from the AfD, which received 38.6 percent. Overall, the turnout in Vorpommern-Greifswald was 45.7 percent, which indicates a lively interest of the voters.

The mayor election in Neubrandenburg also promises to be exciting: Nico Klose, a single applicant, leads according to the current counts with 65.1 percent against Frank Benischke from the CDU, which comes to 34.9 percent. The result appears disappointing for the CDU because it could not mobilize the voters in this runoff election.

elections and their meaning

The elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are also part of a larger trend that shows itself in the latest local elections. According to preliminary results, the AfD has recorded significant growth in several counties as well as in the cities of Rostock and Schwerin. In Vorpommern-Greifswald, the AfD reached 29.6 percent of the vote, and it was 29.8 percent in Mecklenburg Lake District. These developments illustrate that the AfD will gain influence in some regions, while the CDU was mostly able to receive most votes in the remaining counties.

In the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, incumbent Stefan Sternberg (SPD) was able to win the election in the first ballot. Significant changes can also be observed at the local level, because the mayoral elections in Binz and Marlow brought new faces: Mario Kurowski from the citizens for Binz and Andreas Kröger, who competes as baker, will direct the fortunes of the two cities.

For more information about the results and the background of the elections, please visit FAZ.NET , ndr.de and ndr.de .