In Schwerin (the state capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northeastern Germany), CDU candidate Sebastian Ehlers won the first round of the mayoral election on Sunday with 34.2 percent of the vote, followed by SPD candidate Mandy Pfeifer at 27.9 percent. The far-right AfD's candidate Petra Federau finished third with 26.3 percent, falling short of the runoff — a blow to the party, which had hoped to claim a significant regional victory. Ehlers and Pfeifer will now face each other in a deciding vote in two weeks, after neither secured an absolute majority.