Election fever in Rhineland-Palatinate: Who are the new favorites?

Election fever in Rhineland-Palatinate: Who are the new favorites?

On February 13, 2025, the elections for the German Bundestag are just around the corner and preparations in Rhineland-Palatinate are in full swing. Around 2.97 million eligible voters are invited to vote. Voters have the opportunity to choose between 14 parties, which represents a decline in six parties compared to the last election 2021. The parties standing for election include the SPD, CDU, Greens, FDP, AfD, the free voters, the left and new political currents such as the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) and the animal welfare party. Volt, the MLPD, Alliance Germany, the ÖDP and the party.

The Bundestag election brings some innovations. The constituencies will be repainted; For example, the constituency 197 Neuwied will in future be referred to as 196 Neuwied. There are a total of 15 constituencies in Rhineland-Palatinate. In the last election in 2021, the results of the parties for the second votes were as follows: The SPD achieved 29.4%, the CDU 24.7%and the Greens 12.6%. The FDP, AfD, free voters, leftists and other parties are also not to be neglected, as the results show. The SPD was able to win eight direct mandates while the CDU won seven.

Current surveys and election forecasts

A current survey of the SWR shows that the CDU is the leading party in Rhineland-Palatinate with 33% consent, followed by the SPD with 19% and the AfD with 18%. The Greens are 13%, while the FDP, the left and the BSW can only combine 4% of the votes. The election forecasts provide an exciting view of the upcoming elections, especially in view of the uncertain seating, which has arisen from the recent voting right reform. This reform means that the mandates of the electoral winners are now only awarded via the second vote shares.

There are some constituencies, including Kreuznach/Birkenfeld, where Julia Klöckner will compete against Joe Weingarten, and in Kaiserslautern there is a duel between Sebastian Münzenmaier and Alexander Ulrich. In the constituency of Neustadt/Speyer, Isabel Mackensen-Geis and Johannes Steininger are also in competition.

postal voting and voter behavior

The voters also have the option of applying for postal voting. There will be almost 5,500 votes, although the exact number is still unclear. Most recently there were 5,033 voting districts. Shipping the postal voting documents is crucial because the deadlines are scarce. DHL recommends sending the postal voting documents to February 20, 2025 at the latest to ensure timely voting. Of the 5,483 electoral districts, 1,478 pure postal voting districts are possible, so that the postal voice voice is also possible.

The Bundestag election 2021 has changed the political landscape in Germany because different election behavior in the different regions became visible. The Union parties dominate in southern Germany, while the SPD is strong in the rest of the country - except in the southern parts of East Germany, where the AfD is leading. These regional differences are also reflected in the voter decisions: So economic issues have strongly influenced the Union voters and environmental and climate affairs.

The turnout was 76.6% in the last federal election, which is a slight increase compared to the 76.2% in 2017. This value varied greatly between the constituencies, with a participation of only 63.3% in Duisburg II and 84.8% in Munich-Land. It remains to be seen how clearly such differences will also appear in the upcoming elections. The dynamic changes in the voter structure and the increasing relevance of new, smaller parties could have a decisive impact on the election decision.