(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 15 - According to the most recent election results in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, the CDU remains the leading party with 34.6% of the vote, a 0.3% increase over 2020, and the only significant change from initial exit polls. The SPD is the state's second-largest political force, with 22% of the vote, a 2.3% decline and potentially its worst result ever. The AfD is third at 15.3%, up more than ten points. The Greens are down 7.1% to 12.9%, while the Left Party (Die Linke) is up 1.5% to 5.3%. The SPD will almost certainly face off against the AfD in two cities: Gelsenkirchen, where the Social Democratic candidate won 37.1% of the vote to the AfD's 29.8%, and Duisburg, where the SPD won 45.9% and the AfD 19.8%. With more than 90% of the votes counted, a runoff election has been confirmed in Cologne, the state's most populous city, between Green Party candidate Berivan Aymaz and SPD candidate Torsten Burmester. In a fortnight, voting will take place in Düsseldorf, Bonn, and Aachen (between the CDU and the Greens), as well as Dortmund, Bielefeld, and Essen (between the SPD and the CDU). (ANSA).