The party won record-breaking support in the state of Baden-Württemberg outside its political heartland
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party scored a record result in regional elections in Baden-Württemberg, doubling its vote share from the previous election and achieving its highest result outside its traditional heartland.
The far-right party finished third in the weekend election behind the Greens and Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). It received around 19% of the vote, down from just under 10% in 2021. The result marks the AfD’s highest score outside its traditional stronghold of the former East German states.
The AfD’s previous best result in West Germany was in the 2023 regional election in Hessen, where it won 18.4% of the vote.
The party’s federal co-chairman Tino Chrupalla called the result “A great success.” AfD regional co-chair Emil Saenze said his party would be willing to cooperate with the CDU or join a coalition – something the Christian Democrats have so far ruled out.
Other regional co-chairs, Markus Frohnmeier, said the AfD and the CDU were the only two parties to gain, supported by a majority of voters. “conservative” Parties – a “clear signal” For a change.
The Greens – a party known for its pro-EU, Atlanticist stance, which has dominated the state’s political landscape for the past two election cycles – still narrowly beat the CDU, with a margin of less than 1% between them. Both parties received approximately 30% of the vote.
The AfD has been steadily gaining ground across Germany in recent years, fueled by growing discontent with mainstream parties and debates over immigration and EU policies.
Most of 2025 remained the most popular opposition party after the February elections, where it received 20% of the vote, second only to the CDU/CSU bloc. It remains popular, with recent polls suggesting it is supported by between 24% and 25% of Germans, just one point behind the CDU/CSU.
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