Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) - The SPD parliamentary group in Frankfurt's Römer is ready to initiate voting procedures against Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann (SPD) if he does not resign from office of his own accord. The other parliamentary groups shared this view, said SPD parliamentary group leader Ursula Busch on Friday after a regular meeting with the other parliamentary group leaders. It is still unclear by when such a deselection procedure can be launched, because it must be well prepared. The city government is formed by the Greens, Volt, FDP and SPD.
Feldmann had declared on Wednesday, despite calls for his resignation from his own party, that he wanted to remain in office. The public prosecutor's office brought charges against Feldmann in March on suspicion of corruption in connection with an affair about the workers' welfare (Awo). The SPD politician repeatedly rejected the allegations. In addition, there was recent criticism, among other things, because of a sexist saying about flight attendants.
For a vote-out procedure, there must first be at least a two-thirds majority in the city council; then the citizens are questioned directly. If there is a majority for voting out, this must comprise at least 30 percent of those entitled to vote. For a local election, this is a high hurdle given the mostly low voter turnout.
