Cologne is re-electing: Preliminary results from the district representatives are here!

Cologne is re-electing: Preliminary results from the district representatives are here!

Today, September 15, 2025, there is exciting news about the local elections in Cologne. The preliminary final results for the district councils have been published and have reorganized the political picture in the city. In Cologne, the nine district representatives were replaced and around 820,526 eligible voters were able to cast their votes. The first interim results are also continuously updated so that citizens are always informed. These district representatives play a crucial role in the city's everyday political life and are considered an important mouthpiece for the concerns of the individual districts. The new balance of power could have a significant impact on local projects and concerns that will be on the agenda in the coming years, T-Online reports.

But what was the voter turnout? There is good news to report here: At 57.7 percent, turnout in the elections was higher than in the last local elections in 2020, where only 51.0 percent cast their vote. Over 800,000 Cologne residents cast their votes, which shows that people care about their voice and the future of their city. This means that the people of Cologne are getting ready for changes and new political accents, as WDR reports.

The vote counting

On the afternoon of the election, 4,000 volunteers began opening and pre-sorting the postal ballot envelopes at the fair. This logistical challenge was necessary to ensure the votes were counted quickly. The great commitment of the volunteers shows the commitment of the citizens, who are also actively involved in conducting the election. Meanwhile, the first votes have already been counted.

Politically, things are getting exciting: The CDU retained its top spot with 33.3 percent of the vote, but the result was 1 percentage point worse than in the last election. The SPD also suffered a decline to 22.1 percent. One of the biggest surprises came from the AfD, which almost tripled its result and became the third strongest force with 14.5 percent, as the RND reports. On the other hand, the Greens have lost 6.5 percentage points and are now at 13.5 percent.

Runoff election in Cologne

In view of the upcoming challenges and possible changes in the city, there will also be a runoff election in Cologne. This is between Berivan Aymaz from the Greens and Torsten Burmester from the SPD, which gives the political competition in Cologne additional tension. Similar runoff elections are scheduled in other cities, such as Düsseldorf, which illustrates the nationwide trends.

The local elections are not only a reflection of the political mood in Cologne, but also in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) as a whole. Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst expressed concern about the AfD result. On the other hand, the state leader of the AfD described the election as a referendum on the direction of the country. These dynamic developments give rise to discussion and could have a long-term influence on the political direction of the city and the country, T-Online reports.

The political landscape in Cologne will certainly remain exciting in the next few weeks, and citizens should prepare themselves for further information and developments. The elections are an important moment that not only affects the city itself, but could also influence the entire state of North Rhine-Westphalia.