Pure excitement: Who will be Cologne's new mayor?

Pure excitement: Who will be Cologne's new mayor?

Tension is in the air in Cologne - the crucial runoff elections will take place on September 28, 2025, which will decide the future leadership of the city. Voters face a choice between Berivan Aymaz from the Greens and Torsten Burmester from the SPD. At a time when political trends are in flux, the election will not only be a question of votes, but also of the political shape of Cologne for the coming years. Mirror reports on the unique dynamics surrounding this runoff election.

The people of Cologne are called upon to elect their next mayor, but the situation throughout the state of North Rhine-Westphalia offers a broad context. The CDU is emerging as the strongest political force in the current local elections, while the SPD is hot on the heels of the Greens and the AfD after a slight decline in votes compared to 2020. This has recorded a rapid increase in the number of voters in recent years, which has also been confirmed by the recent European elections, as reported ZDF.

Runoff elections in 21 cities

Runoff elections will take place in a total of 21 cities in North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday. In addition to Cologne, Aachen, Bonn, Bochum, Düsseldorf and Dortmund are also among the cities affected. The involvement of diverse electorates is particularly visible in these cities. In Düsseldorf, incumbent Stephan Keller (CDU) and his challenger Clara Gerlach (Greens) are in direct competition. There is also a neck-and-neck race in Bonn, where the Green Katja Dörner has to defend her office against CDU candidate Guido Déus.

The election analyzes show an interesting shift in the electorate. According to the preliminary results of the local elections, the CDU achieved a share of the vote of 33.3%, while the SPD recorded a significant decrease compared to 2020 with 22.1%. With 14.5%, the AfD has now established itself as a serious competitor and trumped the Greens in the federal election in North Rhine-Westphalia in February. MIRROR highlights that this trend could potentially permanently change some political landscapes.

Political support against the AfD

The political strategy of the other parties will be particularly exciting, especially the CDU and SPD, which are joining forces to run against the AfD candidates in Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen and Hagen. This coalition could be crucial to undermining the AfD and minimizing conflicts of interest in the cities.

The rhetoric in the election campaign is delicious, showing that we are in turbulent times. It remains to be seen how the people of Cologne will react and what political offer they will make on Sunday. The ballot box will show whether the heart in Cologne beats for the Greens or the SPD. The people of Cologne will cast their vote, and many will be eagerly awaiting the result.