Far-right AfD forecast to make gains as North Rhine-Westphalia goes to polls

Elections in Germany’s most populous state pose first significant test at ballot box for Friedrich Merz as chancellor

Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)party is expected to make significant gains as voters in the country’s most populous state go to the polls in local elections that are seen as Friedrich Merz’s first significant electoral test since he took office as chancellor four months ago.

North Rhine-Westphalia, home to almost a quarter of Germany’s citizens and made up of swathes of agricultural land, post-industrial towns and cities with large multi-ethnic and student populations, is viewed as something of a bellwether for the country as a whole.