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Burmester wins mayoral election in Cologne: districts show clear preferences!
Torsten Burmester (SPD) wins the OB runoff election in Cologne on September 28th, 2025. Voter preferences show strong differences by district.
Burmester wins mayoral election in Cologne: districts show clear preferences!
The mayoral runoff election in Cologne, which concluded today, produced a clear winner: Torsten Burmester from the SPD was able to hold his own with 53.48% of the votes against Berivan Aymaz from the Greens, who received 46.52%. The new mayor will succeed Henriette Reker, who is now stepping down. This result shows the different voting preferences of Cologne residents, which depend heavily on the respective districts. Voter turnout varied significantly between the city's 86 districts.
The last days before the election were intense for both candidates. Burmester, who previously worked in the German Olympic Sports Confederation, relied on his administrative experience, while Aymaz highlighted her position as vice president of the state parliament. In the last weeks of the election campaign, particular attention was paid to the different political views, for example on the development of the Gleueler Wiese and the planned light rail tunnel in the city center, where Burmester is for and Aymaz is against the projects.
Veedel in focus
The results in the individual city districts show how differently voters in Cologne tick:
| city district | Torsten Burmester (%) | Berivan Aymaz (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown | 56.4 | 43.6 |
| Rodenkirchen | 50.61 | 49.39 |
| Lindenthal | 52.37 | 47.63 |
| Ehrenfeld | 50.04 | 49.96 |
| Chorweiler | 23.58 | 76.42 |
| Porcelain | 23.77 | 76.23 |
| Mülheim | 57.91 | 42.09 |
| lime | 37.66 | 62.34 |
The data shows a clear separation of voter preferences and highlights regionally different attitudes to the election campaign issues. Aymaz was surprised by the final vote on election evening and thanked her in an interview for the trust shown in her, even if it wasn't enough to win.
Voter turnout in comparison
Another interesting topic is voter turnout, which has a direct impact on political participation. Voter turnout in Germany is traditionally higher among older voters. In the last federal election in 2025, voter turnout among 50 to 69 year olds was around 85.5%. Participation was particularly high in Cologne this year, although the exact figures are still pending.
In general, current trends show that voter turnout has increased in recent years. The highest participation was in 1998 at 82.5%, while the lowest participation was in 2009 at 70.8%. It is expected that voter turnout in this mayoral election could reach similar levels, indicating a growing interest among citizens in local issues. Statista emphasizes that voter turnout is an important quality feature for democratic systems.
Overall, the runoff election shows that Cologne offers a diverse electorate and that views continue to diverge greatly in the districts. Torsten Burmester now has the task of reconciling these different interests and working with his team on the city's challenges in the coming years.