Skip next section More Germany news coming Monday
03/23/2026March 23, 2026
More Germany news coming Monday
That’s a wrap for our coverage from Germany this weekend. We’ll have more German news on Monday.
https://p.dw.com/p/5AtZY
Skip next section Provisional election results in Rhineland-Palatinate
03/23/2026March 23, 2026
Provisional election results in Rhineland-Palatinate
https://p.dw.com/p/5Ata1
Skip next section CDU seeks coalition with SPD in Rhineland-Palatinate
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
CDU seeks coalition with SPD in Rhineland-Palatinate
Schnieder will replace the sitting SPD premier, Alexander SchweitzerImage: Hannes Albert/dpa/picture alliance
Shortly after his win in Rhineland-Palatinate, the local leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) said he would seek a coalition with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).
“We will form a coalition of the democratic center,” Gordon Schnieder told the ZDF heute journal TV show.
“I have never worked with the extremists from the right and will continue not to,” he said in reference to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that achieved its best result in a western state election on Sunday.
The two parties will have more than enough seats to secure the 50% needed to form a governing coalition in the state.
If the coalition agreement goes ahead as Schnieder plans, then the state level government will reflect that of the federal government, where the CDU leads a coalition with the SPD as junior partners. The only difference at the state level is that CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the CSU, is also a part of the coalition.
The outgoing Rhineland-Palatinate state government was made up of the SPD, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), the so-called Traffic Light coalition.
https://p.dw.com/p/5AtUJ
Skip next section Merz congratulates CDU for win in Rhineland-Palatinate
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
Merz congratulates CDU for win in Rhineland-Palatinate
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has welcomed his party’s victory in Rhineland-Palatinate with a message on social media.
“After more than 35 years, the CDU is once again the strongest party” in the state, he said.
He offered his “congratulations on this great result” to the local CDU and their winning candidate, Gordon Schnieder.
The victory will be a welcome reprieve for Merz and his party after it lost out to the Greens in the wealthy southern state of Baden-Württemberg in early March.
https://p.dw.com/p/5AtSI
Skip next section Projected Rhineland-Palatinate state election result
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
Projected Rhineland-Palatinate state election result
https://p.dw.com/p/5AtMX
Skip next section Greens poised to win mayoral election in Munich, SPD concedes defeat
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
Greens poised to win mayoral election in Munich, SPD concedes defeat
Dominik Krause of the environemntalist Greens is leading in the run-off election for mayor of the Bavarian capital, MunichImage: Sven Hoppe/dpa/picture alliance
Green candidate Dominik Krause is leading in Sunday’s runoff election for Munich mayor.
With 495 of the 926 precincts reporting, Krause had won 59.1% of the vote, compared to SPD Mayor Dieter Reiter’s 40.9%.
This outcome is yet another setback for the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) on a disheartening night, as the party also lost the state election in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Reiter was considered the overwhelming favorite to retain his position in Munich until it was revealed that he had been receiving money from Bayern Munich for a position on its administrative advisory board without the necessary approval from the city council.
After intense public pressure, Reiter admitted to making mistakes, stepped down from the post, and resigned from the supervisory board — a position he had only recently taken up.
Reiter conceded defeat and congratulated Krause. “This is the last day of my political career,” he said.
Projections showed Krause had won 59.1% of the vote with 495 of 926 precints reportingImage: Sven Hoppe/dpa/picture alliance
https://p.dw.com/p/5AtIz
Skip next section Takeaways from Rhineland-Palatinate state election03/22/2026March 22, 2026
Takeaways from Rhineland-Palatinate state election
Lesson one: The momentum is with Merz
The conservative CDU’s win in the state election in western Rhineland-Palatinate is a huge relief for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He had raised expectations that his CDU party could win two state elections this month. This failed to materialize — the conservatives came short in Baden-Württemberg two weeks ago. But tonight they’ve pulled off a win.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU netted a much-needed win for the party in western Rhineland-Palatinate after falling short in southwestern Baden-Württemberg [FILE: March 19, 2026]Image: Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu/picture alliance
It’s not a landslide win but it will give Merz a boost: He’ll need it as he heads into an intense few months of wrangling over reforms to the labor market and social security.
Lesson two: The Social Democrats need a time out
After 35 years in power in Rhineland-Palatinate, it is not a huge surprise that voters have opted for change. Given the dire results the party has suffered elsewhere in Germany, the result, in the high 20s, is still something to hold on to. The problem for the SPD is that they will likely be junior members of the next government. That will make it hard for them to truly sharpen their profile.
The center-left Social Democrats (SPD) are set to lose the premiership of the western state of Rhineland-PalatinateImage: Boris Roessler/dpa/picture alliance
Lesson three: The AfD is a national force
The far-right AfD landed their best result ever in a west German state election. There have long been questions marks about whether the far-right party can replicate their success in eastern Germany in the west. Today’s result is the second election this month where they have doubled their results. It confirms their promise of radical change is resonating with Germans across the board. So we can put that question to bed.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was traditionally strong in eastern Germany but has recently been making considerable gains in the westImage: Andreas Arnold/dpa/picture alliance
Lesson four: The liberals are on life support
After the business-friendly liberal FDP party was kicked out of the federal Bundestag in elections one year ago, party bosses hoped a strong showing in these elections could spark a comeback. Instead, they have lost support. And worse, they’ve fallen well under the crucial 5% hurdle needed to enter parliament.
https://p.dw.com/p/5AtI7
Skip next section AFD vows to do ‘a good job in the opposition’
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
AFD vows to do ‘a good job in the opposition’
Alice Weidel, the federal leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has announced that her party will do “great work in the opposition” following its expected record-breaking result in the Rhineland-Palatinate state election.
Weidel told ARD that the AfD is now the largest opposition party not only in the federal Bundestag but also in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate.
She pointed out that, based on current figures, a coalition between the CDU and the AfD would be mathematically possible in Rhineland-Palatinate. However, the parties had decided against it.
“Accordingly, we will continue to do a good job in the opposition,” Weidel said.
Meanwhile, Tino Chrupalla, the party’s co-leader, said that with this result, the AfD can form a strong opposition and “call out” the CDU-SPD coalition — or whoever ends up governing — on their mistakes.
https://p.dw.com/p/5AtBt
Skip next section Greens’ leaders speak of ‘good result’ in Rhineland-Palatinate election
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
Greens’ leaders speak of ‘good result’ in Rhineland-Palatinate election
Green Party leaders expressed satisfaction with the result of the state election in Rhineland-Palatinate.
“It’s a good result for us in Rhineland-Palatinate given the challenging situation; the race was between the CDU and the SPD at the top,” Franziska Brantner said.
While the Greens would have liked to continue to have a hand in governing the state, “we are now entering the opposition in a position of strength,” Brantner said.
The Greens had been a junior coalition partner in the center-left SPD’s state government alongside the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), in what is dubbed a “traffic light coalition.”
The party’s co-leader Felix Banaszak also described the outcome of the election as “a really good result” for the environmentalist party.
https://p.dw.com/p/5AtBo
Skip next section CDU satisfied with election results in Rhineland-Palatinate
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
CDU satisfied with election results in Rhineland-Palatinate
CDU supporters celebrated the state election win after a forecast showed the party had received some 30% of the voteImage: Jens Krick/Flashpic/picture alliance
CDU Secretary-General Carsten Linnemann described the outcome of the state election in Rhineland-Palatinate as a “strong result with a strong candidate.”
“As the lead candidate, Gordon Schnieder managed to focus on the important issues, including education and the economy.” he said.
Linnemann also interpreted the state election results in Rhineland-Palatinate as a sign of support for the political center.
“If the result stays this way, we’ll have more than 50% support for the CDU and SPD — that’s also a strong result for the centrist parties,” Linnemann said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5AtBh
Skip next section Forecast: CDU wins state elections in Rhineland-Palatinate
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
Forecast: CDU wins state elections in Rhineland-Palatinate
The forecast result is a relief for the CDU, after the party failed to edge out the Greens in the Baden-Württemberg state election earlier this monthImage: Hannes Albert/dpa/picture alliance
A forecast on Germany’s ARD public broadcaster showed that conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) held a lead over their center-left Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners in an election in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The first forecast after the polls closed showed the CDU with 30.5% of the vote, ahead of the SPD with 27%.
According to the forecast, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party came in third with 20% of the vote, ahead of the environmentalist Greens with 7.5-8.5%.
Meanwhile, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), with 2.0-2.1%, and the Free Voters, with 3.5-4.0%, will lose their seats in the Mainz state parliament. The socialist Left Party was forecast to receive 4.5%, which is below the 5% needed to enter the regional parliament.
Depending on the final outcome, the CDU and SPD could form a state-level coalition similar to the one in Berlin. CDU candidate Gordon Schnieder is poised to replace the current SPD premier, Alexander Schweitzer.
https://p.dw.com/p/5At9G
Skip next section Thousands protest digital sexual violence in Berlin
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
Thousands protest digital sexual violence in Berlin
People gathered at Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate to protest sexualized digital violenceImage: dts Nachrichtenagentur/IMAGO
Under the motto “Against Sexualized Digital Violence — Solidarity with All Victims,” several thousand people participated in a demonstration in Berlin.
In the afternoon, they gathered at the Brandenburg Gate on Pariser Platz, which was completely packed. The participants held signs that read: “Human rights on the internet too” and “Shame must switch sides.”
The police reported 6,700 participants, while the organizers estimated 13,000.
According to the organizers, the rally was held in solidarity with TV host and actress Collien Fernandes, who made serious allegations against her ex-partner, actor Christian Ulmen.
The allegations, first reported by the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel, concerned the distribution of fake pornographic recordings.
Ulmen’s lawyer, Christian Schertz, spoke of the dissemination of “untrue facts” and “unacceptable reporting based on suspicion” and announced legal action against Der Spiegel.
Protesters held a rally in solidarty with actor Collien FernandesImage: Daniel Lakomski/Jan Huebner/IMAGO
https://p.dw.com/p/5At7U
Skip next section Leipzig Book Fair sets record for attendance
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
Leipzig Book Fair sets record for attendance
For the first time in its history, Leipzig Book Fair attracted more than 300,000 visitors.
On Sunday, the last day of the event, the organizers announced that around 313,000 guests came to the book fair, reading festival, and Manga Comic Con. This surpassed last year’s record by 17,000 visitors.
Over the course of four days, 2,044 exhibitors from 54 countries presented their products and services in the eastern German city.
The record comes amid uncertain times for the German book trade. Last year, the industry suffered a 2.9% sales decline after a long period of stability.
https://p.dw.com/p/5At7W
Skip next section Merz says Germany and US to keep ‘close contact’ after Trump call
03/22/2026March 22, 2026
Merz says Germany and US to keep ‘close contact’ after Trump call
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday announced on X that he had, “spoken with US President Donald Trump about the situation in Iran, Israel and Ukraine.”
The statement went on to say that both sides had agreed to “remain in close contact.”
It comes after reports that the US had not consulted Germany when it decided to launch its war against Iran,
Berlin and some of the US’ other NATO allies in Europe fear the US war with Iran will take focus off of Ukraine, which has been fending off a Russian invasion since February 2022.
Trump has said NATO partners in Europe should defend Ukraine, not the US. But now he is also haranguing those same partners into joining his war in Iran.
The US’ war against Iran may have strengthened Vladimir Putin’s hand by driving up oil prices, which also led Washington to drop some sanctions against Moscow.
How the Iran war is hurting Ukraine’s chances at peace
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Click here for more developments related to the US and Israel’s war with Iran.
https://p.dw.com/p/5At60
Skip next section More than 150 fans arrested after post-match brawl in Dortmund03/22/2026March 22, 2026
More than 150 fans arrested after post-match brawl in Dortmund
Saim Dušan Inayatullah
Fans from the Bundesliga teams Borussia Dortmund (BVB) and Hamburger SV were involved in a brawl in the center of Dortmund on Saturday evening following a football match between the two sides that the home team won 3:2.
The violence led to a large police deployments, with 152 arrests made, most of them fans of the Hamburg team, police said.
According to media reports, BVB fans attacked buses carrying those of Hamburg, while followers of both sides, some masked, clashed on the open road.
Police said personal details of those detained had been recorded and legal proceedings begun. They were subsequently released.
There have been no reports of injuries so far.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Asrv
