In Heidelberg, the mayor election campaign remains exciting. On Sunday evening nobody achieved an absolute majority. Now the question is whether what failed in Stuttgart will succeed in the university town.
Heidelberg (dpa / lsw) - After her second place in the mayoral election in Heidelberg, ex-Minister of Science Theresia Bauer wants to join forces for the new election in three weeks in order to kick Eckart Würzner out of office. She wanted to talk to all those who offered an alternative for the city, said the Green politician after the election results were announced on Sunday. Because nobody got more than 50 percent of the votes, around 107,000 people are called to vote again on November 27th.
The non-party Würzner, who has been the head of town hall since 2006 and is supported by the CDU and FDP, was clearly ahead with around 45.9 percent of the votes. Bauer, who had given up her cabinet post in the Baden-Württemberg state government especially for the candidacy, came to 28.6 percent, SPD city councilor Sören Michelsburg to 13.5 percent. The six other candidates were well below.
It could now depend mainly on Michelsburg. If he competes again, it should be difficult for Bauer. The SPD politician wants to consult with his party earlier this week and announce a decision on Wednesday, as he announced. "I don't think there was really a willingness to change," said the city council.
Meanwhile, Bauer and Würzner both rated the result as a success in their own way: The 61-year-old sees himself strengthened because he was by far in first place. Bauer took the vote as a clear statement that Würzner did not have a majority to continue.
On the evening of the election, she emphasized several times that she wanted to join forces. Würzner did not assume that even if Michelsburg were to withdraw, more or less all of his votes would go to Bauer's account. He too has voters in the red-green spectrum.
The failed attempt in the centre-left camp at the mayoral election in Stuttgart two years ago shows that combining forces does not always succeed. In order to prevent the victory of the CDU politician Frank Nopper as far as possible, there were considerations of agreeing on an opposing candidate. After those affected did not get anywhere, second-placed Veronika Kienzle (Greens) withdrew her candidacy.
In the case of a new mayor election, not only the applicants from the first round can run again. It is also possible for new candidates to register.
Around 160,000 people live in Heidelberg. The academic quota in the university town is high with over 40 percent of the employees subject to social security contributions. According to the municipality, around 39 percent of the residents are younger than 30 years, almost 16 percent older than 65. The city with the castle ruins above the Neckar is also popular with millions of tourists who come to visit every year.
