CDU wins big in Germany's local elections as AfD fails to secure any cities

The centre-right CDU party won mayoralties across North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday, including Dortmund's first non-Social Democrat mayor since 1946, while the far-right AfD failed to capture any cities despite reaching runoffs in three municipalities.

CDU candidate Alexander Khalouti defeated the centre-left SPD in Dortmund, ending the Social Democrats' 78-year control of Germany's largest working-class city.

The Christian Democrats also scored victories in Leverkusen and Bielefeld.

"That hurts," SPD state chairwoman Sarah Philipp said after the Dortmund loss.

The Social Democrats retained Cologne, where Torsten Burmeister defeated Green candidate Berivan Aymaz, and held Oberhausen, Gelsenkirchen, Wuppertal and Mülheim an der Ruhr, while the Greens won Münster from the CDU.

AfD candidates lost in Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen and Hagen, reaching second rounds for the first time in the state's history yet losing by large margins to opponents from CDU and SPD.

The results from nearly 150 districts and cities showed CDU's strength in rural areas while the SPD maintained control of industrial centres. Düsseldorf remained CDU-controlled and Bochum stayed with the SPD.

The elections serve as a bellwether ahead of federal voting, with mainstream parties containing far-right advances while competing for control of urban areas.