Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) - Around 509,000 Frankfurt residents are called on this Sunday to elect a new mayor. Polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A total of 20 candidates are running, more than ever before in a mayor election in the Main metropolis. Former mayor Uwe Becker is running for the CDU, while Mike Josef, head of the planning department, is running for the SPD. Manuela Rottmann is running for the Greens, who were the strongest force in the last local elections.
The early vote was necessary because the SPD mayor at the time, Peter Feldmann, was voted out in November. Eligible to vote are Germans and EU citizens who are at least 18 years old on the day of the vote - i.e. on March 5th - and who have had their main residence in Frankfurt for at least six weeks. That is currently around 509,000 people in Frankfurt.
The former OB Feldmann had gambled away his trust because of the affair about the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Awo) and various gaffes. Shortly after the vote was voted out, the politician was fined for accepting an advantage in the Awo affair. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
It is completely unclear whether a new incumbent will be determined on Sunday evening. Because if no one gets the required absolute majority in the first ballot, a runoff will decide on March 26th.
