Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives are predicted to win the Rhineland-Palatinate election, ending 35 years of dominance by the Social Democrats (SPD). The result is a significant setback for the SPD, which is currently a junior coalition partner in Merz’s national government. Projections by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF showed the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with around 30.5%, up from 27.7% in the last state election in 2021. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was predicted to finish third with 20% of the vote. The CDU's lead candidate, Gordon Schnieder, is set to become the state's next premier.