German voters have shown a strong turnout in the current parliamentary election compared to the previous one four years ago, according to early federal and state data. The German federal returning officer reported a national voter turnout of 52% as of 2 p.m. local time, a significant increase from the 36.5% recorded at the same time during the last election.
Several states, including North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt, have witnessed higher early turnout rates. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, 63% of voters had cast their ballots by 2 p.m., marking a notable increase from the previous election. Similarly, Saxony-Anhalt reported a turnout of 52.6% by the same time, significantly higher than the turnout in 2021.
Thuringia, known as a stronghold of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, saw a voter turnout of 59.2% by 2 p.m., a substantial rise from the previous election's turnout at the same time. However, Saxony showed a slightly lower increase, with 39.6% of voters having voted by 2 p.m., just over three percentage points higher than in the last election.
The overall increase in voter turnout across various states indicates a heightened interest and participation in the current parliamentary election compared to the previous one. The final voter turnout figures are eagerly awaited as the election progresses throughout the day.
