Cologne mayor runoff election: Aymaz and Burmester in a direct duel!

Cologne mayor runoff election: Aymaz and Burmester in a direct duel!

An exciting duel awaits Cologne: the runoff election between Berîvan Aymaz from the Greens and Torsten Burmester from the SPD will take place on September 28th. The mayoral candidates who stood for election in the local elections on September 14th did not achieve the required absolute majority. Aymaz secured first place with 28.1 percent of the votes, followed by Burmester with 21.3 percent. 24rhine and stadt-koeln.de report voter turnout of 57.7 percent, which is higher than in 2020, when 51.0 percent of eligible voters cast their votes.

The results of the election show a strong interest in the issues that concern the people of Cologne. Over 800,000 citizens were called to vote, and the distribution of votes suggests different views within the electorate. The Greens were able to achieve 25 percent of the votes in the city council, but have to look back on a lower result compared to 2020. WDR

The candidates

Berîvan Aymaz, 53 years old, is the Green Party's first mayoral candidate since 2009 and has made a name for herself as a member of the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament with social and environmental issues. Their approach to a city worth living in is based on a 50 percent social quota for new housing and the allocation of urban areas to organizations oriented towards the common good. If you look at it, Aymaz is keen to emphasize Cologne's diversity and cosmopolitanism and to position itself against hate comments on social media.

Torsten Burmester, 62 years old, has many years of administrative experience, which he gained as general secretary of the German Disabled Sports Association and chairman of the DOSB. He plans to create 6,000 new apartments a year, including 2,000 social housing, and to set up a new housing company. His agenda also includes measures to improve security and public order, including through a 24/7 police and public order presence.

Important topics in the election campaign

Both candidates have put explosive issues on the agenda that are important to the citizens of Cologne. Regarding thataffordable housingAymaz takes a more social approach, while Burmester focuses more on quantity. In theSecurityBoth rely on presence, with Aymaz relying on social work and Burmester on more police.

• Wohnen:
  • Aymaz: 50% Sozialquote, Flächenvergabe an gemeinwohlorientierte Träger.
  • Burmester: 6000 neue Wohnungen jährlich, davon 2000 Sozialwohnungen.
• Sicherheit:
  • Aymaz: Öffentliche Räume für alle, Prävention durch soziale Arbeit.
  • Burmester: 24/7-Präsenz von Polizei und Ordnungsamt.
• Verkehr und ÖPNV:
  • Aymaz: Ausbau von Radwegen, kein Tunnel für die Ost-West-Achse.
  • Burmester: Pünktliche Verkehrsanbindungen und sichere Radwege.
• Klimapolitik:
  • Aymaz: Mehr Grünflächen und Maßnahmen gegen Versiegelung.
  • Burmester: Städtebauen mit Unterstützung für den 1. FC Köln.

In this exciting time before the runoff election, it is already clear that the voters' decisions will not only be important for the coming years, but could also have a direct impact on the quality of life in Cologne. Cheers to the Cologne voters whose commitment is making the city a better place.