Rostock (dpa/mv) - In Rostock, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's largest city, around 172,000 eligible voters are called on Sunday (from 8 a.m.) to elect a new mayor in a runoff. You can decide between the left-wing politician Eva-Maria Kröger and the non-party former Rostock police chief Michael Ebert, who is supported by the CDU and FDP. Polling stations open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Reliable results are expected between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

In the first round on November 13, both candidates received the most votes from a total of 17 applicants. Kröger received 25.3 percent of the votes two weeks ago, Ebert 23.6 percent. In the second round, a simple majority is enough to win the election. The office of Lord Mayor is awarded for a period of seven years. The election was necessary because the previous incumbent Claus Ruhe Madsen (non-party) moved to Schleswig-Holstein as Economics Minister in June in the cabinet of Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU).