Reker's withdrawal: Cologne city administration in crisis mode!

Reker's withdrawal: Cologne city administration in crisis mode!

The air is thick in Cologne because citizens' dissatisfaction with city politics is visibly growing. Mayor Henriette Reker reacts to the current survey results with regret, 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 their work is at a low point. A shocking 69 percent of those surveyed expressed dissatisfaction with Reker's work, while 78 percent were critical of the city administration. This reflects a dramatic increase compared to eight years ago, when only 37 percent were dissatisfied with Reker's performance. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports that 93 percent of AfD supporters and 79 percent of respondents from the left are dissatisfied with Reker's work.

Reker, who has been in office since 2015 and will not stand for re-election, admits that she has not achieved all of her goals. “I am saddened that improvements are not being seen more quickly,” she explains, hoping that her successor can build on better administration. Although there has been progress in school construction, major challenges such as traffic, litter and crime remain.

Elections and candidates

The local elections on September 14th are approaching, and Cologne residents are divided about their candidates. In the survey, only a third of those surveyed were confident that the situation would improve with a new city council. The Greens seem to be particularly hard hit, as they could lose from 28.5 percent to 24 percent compared to the last elections. The SPD and CDU – also included in the survey – also predicted fewer votes. In contrast, the Left and the AfD are celebrating significant gains. The Left could increase its vote from 6.5 percent to 11 percent, while the AfD could go from 4.4 to 10 percent. Among the mayoral 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 those eligible to vote cannot currently decide on any of the candidates.

Overall, 79 percent of Cologne residents plan to vote, which is above the NRW-wide average of 71 percent. But it remains to be seen whether those eligible to vote will give their vote to fighters for “feel-good politics” or whether they will have the courage to demand tighter structures. At 54 percent, more than half of Cologne residents feel very interested in local politics, but only 47 percent are informed about the date of the upcoming election.

Feelings of satisfaction and challenges

Despite the sobering survey results, eight out of ten Cologne residents enjoy living in the city. According to a report from the Office for Urban Development and Statistics from 2023, the subjective feeling of satisfaction with Cologne is around 60 percent. The biggest problems residents see are traffic and the lack of bike-friendliness. Nevertheless, the first improvements in the transport sector are being noticed, even if the road to a modern and livable city still seems long. City of Cologne emphasizes that the majority of Cologne residents have a certain level of trust in the future of their city, despite all the challenges.