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Germany: Lower Saxony local polls in focus after AfD win
Timothy Jones | Karl Sexton | Mark Hallam | Emilio Reynoso | Richard Connor | Dmytro Hubenko with AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, KNA, epd, SID
Published 09/11/2026Published September 11, 2026
The northwestern state of Lower Saxony is holding local elections that are being seen as a gauge of support for the far-right AfD party. DW has more.
What you need to know
Local polls in the state of Lower Saxony are drawing unusual attention after the landslide AfD win in neighboring Saxony-Anhalt
A new poll has shown that the far-right party is continuing to gain in popularity nationwide
Shipping problems caused by low water levels in the Rhine could take a big economic toll this year, according to experts
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that truth and lies are increasingly being blurred, including by people in power
Merkel acknowledged that some decisions during her time as chancellor helped fuel support for the AfD
Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on the weekend of Friday, September 11 through Sunday, September 13:
Asylum approval rates climb as applications sink
09/13/2026September 13, 2026
The number of new asylum applications in Germany has fallen sharply but the rate of approvals has risen again, according to the latest official figures from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
Altogether 39,646 people put in first-time applications for asylum in Germany in the first half of 2026, a steep drop from the 72,818 applications filed in the same period last year.
However, 47.4% of the applications in the first half of this year were approved, as compared with 37.5% of applications in 2025 as a whole.
Families applying for asylum had particular success, accounting for 45.6% of the positive decisions.
The approval rate for people from Afghanistan — the main country of origin for asylum applicants in the first of the year — was 89.3%, with protection granted to Afghan women in nearly 95% of cases.
This can be attributed to a European Court of Justice decision in 2024 that women from Afghanistan are generally entitled to protection because they are at risk of gender-based persecution under the Taliban regime.
Low Rhine water levels expected to cause 'immense' economic damage
09/13/2026September 13, 2026
The continuing low water levels on the Rhine — a key transport waterway for Germany — are likely to cause grave damage to the country's economy this year, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
"It is a truly critical situation," spokeswoman Nicole Rabold said.
"Whether the damage will exceed that of 2018 remains to be seen," she said, but added that the economic harm was already expected to be "immense."
2018 saw a previous record low of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) measured at the key water gauge at Kaub, a major transport chokepoint.
The level at the Kaub gauge, which indicates the viability of freight shipping to operators, is currently still below 25 cm, while earlier this year, it even fell into single digits.
The river becomes nearly unusable for freight transport at a gauge level of 35 cm, though operators are free to take their own decisions on whether to continue with shipping.
The low water levels have been caused by a lack of rainfall and have led to a virtual collapse of freight shipping on the waterway, driving up costs for the industries that rely on waterborne supplies of raw materials.
Far-right AfD increases lead over conservatives — poll
09/13/2026September 13, 2026
A new nationwide opinion poll released on Sunday has shown further gains for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party following its major win in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt last week.
The populist opposition party climbed one percentage point to reach 29%, with the conservative bloc of Chancellor Friedrich Merz — made up of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) — remaining unchanged at 20%.
The opposition Green Party was the only other major party to improve its popularity rating, gaining one point to reach 14% and overtake junior coalition party the Social Democrats (SPD) on 13%.
The Left party was also unchanged at 10%.
The next federal election is scheduled for 2029. The survey was carried out by the polling institute Insa and commissioned by the Bild tabloid.
Lower Saxony local polls under scrutiny after far-right win
09/13/2026September 13, 2026
Residents in the northwestern state of Lower Saxony are voting for mayors, district administrators and local councils in elections that are drawing unusual attention after the far-right Alternative for Germany's (AfD's) huge win in Saxony-Anhalt last week.
The local polls come ahead of key state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on September 20 that will also be closely watched as the AfD gains popularity across the country.
However, the party still has much less support in western states than in those in what used to be communist East Germany, with the AfD achieving just 4.6% at district level in the 2021 local elections in Lower Saxony.
Some 6.3 million people are eligible to vote in Sunday's elections.
The massive job cuts taking place at car manufacturer Volkswagen are likely to loom large in voters' minds, as Lower Saxony is home to Volkswagen's HQ and six of its plants, as well as being a key shareholder in the company.
Any run-off elections will take place across the state on September 27.
Welcome back to our coverage
09/13/2026September 13, 2026
We are resuming our coverage of all things German on Sunday as local elections get underway in the northwestern state of Lower Saxony.
They are drawing unusual attention in light of last week's landslide victory for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
With two key state elections still to come this year, results for the AfD, which continues to gain support across the country, will be closely monitored.
This comes as the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate warns of a "really critical situation" for industry as low water levels in the Rhine continue to hinder shipping.
Read on for more stories from and about Germany on September 13.
We are pausing our coverage
09/13/2026September 13, 2026
Wesley Dockery Editor
Thank you for joining us today.
We will be back with more later on Sunday. Bis bald!
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CSU leader Söder rules out internal move to oust under-fire Merz
09/12/2026September 12, 2026
Wesley Dockery Editor
Markus Söder, leader of the Christian Democratic Union's (CDU) Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, or CSU, has ruled out an internal move to oust the under-pressure chancellor, Friedrich Merz.
Merz has faced growing criticism in recent months for the sluggish pace of promised reforms and amid a surge by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which won the most votes in a state election in Saxony-Anhalt last week.
Asked by the Bild newspaper if there were plans to remove Merz, Söder said, "certainly not from the CSU."
"I am not responsible for the CDU; I am not its chairman. But I can say that for the CSU," Söder added.
Söder said he still believes Merz is the right man to lead the government and push through reforms, urging the center-right alliance to "not let the AfD drive a wedge between us now."
France defeats host Germany to reach women's basketball World Cup final
09/12/2026September 12, 2026
France beat Germany, the hosts, 86–64 on Saturday to qualify for the women's basketball World Cup final.
Among the 12,650 fans in the German capital were German men's basketball icons Dirk Nowitzki and Dennis Schröder, but they could not cheer their team to victory against the strong French lineup.
Gabby Williams shone for the victors with 22 points, helping France reach the final for the first time.
The United States, the favorites, will take on Spain in the second semifinal later.
The final will take place on Sunday.
Italy's Meloni: German 'firewall' against AfD isn't working
09/12/2026September 12, 2026
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has questioned the effectiveness of the "firewall" strategy used by Germany's major political parties to prevent the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) from gaining power.
"As we can see, this is a strategy that does not work," she told the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, when asked about the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's victory in last weekend's elections in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Meloni also noted that political movements "that focus on the defense of identity, the fight against mass illegal immigration and the danger of Islamization" have gained strength in Europe.
The reaction of the "establishment," Meloni said, has often been "to erect firewalls rather than addressing the substantive issues."
She added that this strategy clearly does not work and that "listening to these concerns and responding to them" is a more successful approach.
Earlier, Meloni — who leads the right-wing Brothers of Italy party — has distanced herself from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and its political views on several occasions.
Woman injured in antisemitic attack in Berlin
09/12/2026September 12, 2026
Berlin police said that a woman wearing a Star of David was injured in an antisemitic attack by two men.
The men verbally abused the woman with antisemitic slurs in the middle of the night on Torstrasse in the central district of Mitte before one of them attacked the 43-year-old with a broken bottle, according to police.
Police said the men approached her earlier, at around 2:30 a.m. (0030 GMT), about her Star of David. The state security department of the state criminal police office has taken over the investigation.
The woman sustained cuts to her hand while defending herself and was taken to the hospital.
The incident occurred during the Jewish New Year celebration, Rosh Hashanah, which began Friday evening.
Tens of thousands protest against AfD across Germany
09/12/2026September 12, 2026
With the slogan "Not a Step Back! No to the AfD and Right-Wing Hate Speech!" around 20,000 people marched through downtown Düsseldorf, according to reports from the police and organizers.
Several political initiatives called for the protest rally to send a united message of support for an open, democratic society.
Among the participants, who marched peacefully without any counter-demonstrations, according to police, were the "Grandmas Against the Right."
On their poster, which was secured with a small piece of fabric and pins, they proclaimed: "The right is only for knitting." Numerous families with children also joined the protest march in beautiful weather.
Meanwhile, in Berlin, several marches protesting the normalization of right-wing politics converged on the town hall. Police estimated that 18,000 people participated, though organizers claimed that 32,000 people took part.
The demonstrations were prompted by the state election in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party received nearly 44% of the vote, the most by far, but fell short of an absolute majority.
As part of a nationwide initiative, rallies were also held in several cities demanding a review by Germany's Constitutional Court of parties suspected or confirmed by the country's domestic intelligence agency to be far-right extremists.
The largest of these rallies took place in Munich, where police estimated that around 12,000 people gathered.
Around 2,000 people gathered in Mainz, 1,500 in Saarbrücken, and 1,100 in Magdeburg. Protests were also held in Leipzig and Saarbrücken.
Russia's GRU spy agency was behind attempted Leipzig drone attack: reports
09/12/2026September 12, 2026
Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported that security officials have tied the recent attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport to a Russian national working directly with Moscow's GRU military intelligence agency.
Classified security assessments cited by the paper say the man, who entered Germany from Turkey and exited to Russia via Serbia, was responsible for operational logistics.
German authorities reportedly knew of the man's ties to the GRU when he entered the country but failed to put him under surveillance.
German intelligence sources said that the explosives were likely smuggled into Germany via truck from Bulgaria
