Rekers retreat: Cologne city administration in crisis mode!

Rekers retreat: Cologne city administration in crisis mode!

Köln, Deutschland - In Cologne, the air is thick for cutting, because the dissatisfaction of the citizens: inside with city policy grows increasingly. Mayor Henriette Reker reacts to the current survey results, but is not surprised. According to a survey by the Forsa Institute, which was carried out on behalf of the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and the Kölnische Rundschau, satisfaction with its work is at a low point. Terrifying 69 percent of those surveyed expressed themselves dissatisfied with the work of Rekers, while 78 percent see the city administration critically. Compared to eight years ago, when only 37 percent were dissatisfied with Reker's performance, this reflects a dramatic increase. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports that 93 percent of the AfD supporters and 79 percent of the respondents are dissatisfied with Reker's work.

Reker, who has been in office since 2015 and will not stand for election again, admits that she has not achieved all of her goals. "I am sad that improvements are not felt faster," she explains, hoping that her successor can build on a better administration. There have been progress in school building, but the major challenges such as traffic, littering and crime remain.

elections and candidates

The local elections on September 14th move closer and the opinions of Cologne about their candidates are split. In the survey, only a third of the respondents were confident that the situation would improve through a new city council. The Greens, which could lose 28.5 percent to 24 percent compared to the last elections, seem particularly hard. The SPD and CDU - also taken into account in the survey - also predict fewer votes. In contrast, the left and the AfD celebrate significant gains. The left could increase its votes from 6.5 percent to 11 percent, while the AfD could reach 4.4 to 10 percent. Among the OB candidates, Markus Greitemann (CDU) leads with 11 percent, followed by Berivan Aymaz (Greens) and Torsten Burmester (SPD) with 10 percent each. Rundschau Online reports that 40 percent of the eligible voters cannot currently choose for any of the candidates.

A total of 79 percent of Cologne are planning to go to election, which is above the NRW-wide average of 71 percent. But it remains to be observed whether the eligible voters give their voice fighters for "feel -good policy" or whether they have the courage to demand tighter structures. With 54 percent, more than half of Cologne residents feel strongly interested in local politics, but only 47 percent are informed about the date of the upcoming election.

Satisfaction and challenges

Despite the sobering survey results, eight out of ten Cologne residents live in the city. According to a report by the Office for Urban Development and Statistics from 2023, the subjective feeling of satisfaction with Cologne shows a value of around 60 percent. The biggest problems that the residents see are the traffic and lack of bicycle friendliness. Nevertheless, the initial improvements in the traffic sector are perceived, even if the path to the modern and livable city appears long. City of Cologne emphasizes that the Cologne team: in their majority, despite all the challenges, have a certain confidence in the future of their city.