The 2026 Bavarian local elections were held on March 8, 2026 to elect members of Bavaria's 71 district councils and 25 independent city councils.
Results The historically dominant Christian Social Union (CSU) placed first, albeit with a reduction in seats and vote share. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) placed second with more than double the votes and seats they received in the 2020 election. The Greens experienced the largest decline of any party, losing over 200 seats.
A number of small parties also won seats. Volt won a number of seats, largely concentrated in urban areas including Munich, Nuremberg, and Bamberg. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), participated for the first time since its founding in 2024, winning two seats; one in Coburg and one in Kaufbeuren. Small conservative parties The Republicans and the Bavaria Party both lost seats, and were mostly successful in rural regions.
Mayoral results Lord Mayors were also elected in the 25 county-free (kreisfreie) cities. If no candidate received over 50% of the vote, a run-off election between the two leading candidates took place on March 22. Below are the results for the four largest cities in Bavaria.
Munich
Nuremberg
Augsburg
Regensburg
References