Germany news: CDU leads in Hesse vote — partial results

· DW

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU is set to remain the strongest party at the local level in the central state of Hesse.

  • Germany's two ruling parties, the center-right CDU and center-left SPD, look like they are remaining the strongest forces after municipal elections in Hesse
  • The far-right AfD made lower than expected gains to take third place, partial results show

Here is a roundup of the top news and human interest stories from and about Germany on Monday, March 16, 2026: