The Greens and SPD are fighting for the mayor's office in Cologne!

The Greens and SPD are fighting for the mayor's office in Cologne!

There was a big election in Cologne on September 15, 2025, and the results are anything but boring. The Greens are asserting themselves with a clear presence in the mayoral election and the city council election. You could say the vote has taken a clear direction, with the Greens leading in both areas.

Berivan Aymaz, the Green candidate, secured 28 percent of the vote in the mayoral election and is moving to the exciting runoff election in two weeks, where she will face Torsten Burmester from the SPD, who came in second with 21.3 percent. Both now have until September 28th to mobilize their voters. Markus Greitemann from the CDU came in third place with 19.4 percent and now has to dress warmly for the next round of election campaigns. The Cologne City Gazette points out that the Greens performed strongly in inner-city districts, while the CDU is well positioned in southern and western districts.

Voices from the AfD and the Left

The AfD, which is on an unexpected rise, was able to double its share of the vote to 8.5 percent and now has eight seats on the city council. A highlight was Matthias Büschges' success in Chorweiler, where he won over voters with 27.8 percent. It was a thorn in the side for the Greens, who only got 8.1 percent. In some other districts, such as Porz-Finkenberg, the AfD received a right vote with 23.6 percent. The SPD was close with 26.4 percent and the CDU with 24.2 percent.

In the overall growing political landscape, the left has also regained importance. Their successes in districts such as Kalk (27.7 percent) and Humboldt/Gremberg (23.7 percent) should not be forgotten, even if Berivan Aymaz was also able to achieve a considerable majority there.

Voter turnout and mood

Voter turnout rose to a pleasing level of 57.7 percent, a significant increase compared to the 2020 local election, which only reached 51 percent. More than 800,000 eligible voters were committed and determined to cast their vote. This gives hope for a more vibrant political landscape. T Online informs that none of the 13 candidates was able to achieve an absolute majority of 50 percent, which makes the runoff election necessary.

A notable aspect of the election was the preparation for the count. On election Sunday, the city commissioned over 4,000 volunteers to open and pre-sort postal ballot envelopes in the mess hall, demonstrating the efficiency of the election organization. This atmosphere really gives hope for a creative exchange between the parliamentary groups and the voters, and it will be interesting to see how the constellations will turn out until the next election.

The coming weeks promise exciting discussions and one or two surprising moves as the people of Cologne look ahead to the decisive round of the mayoral election. WDR highlights that this race is far from over. What do the people of Cologne want in the future? It's time for voters to make their voices heard!