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Cologne elects: Who will be the new mayor in 2025?
On September 14, 2025, Cologne will elect a new mayor. Find out more about the candidates and the election process.
Cologne elects: Who will be the new mayor in 2025?
Today, September 14, 2025, the people of Cologne face a crucial choice. The mayoral election is causing excitement in the city because the incumbent mayor Henriette Reker (SPD) is not running again. There are a total of 13 candidates in the race for the office, with the three top favorites clearly in focus: Torsten Burmester from the SPD, Berivan Aymaz from the Greens and Markus Greitemann from the CDU.
How Express reports, there is tension in the air: Current results show that Berivan Aymaz is at the top with 27.16 percent of the votes, followed by Torsten Burmester with 21.91 percent and Markus Greitemann with 18.29 percent. Matthias Büschges from the AfD has 10.64 percent. But everything is still open, because the counting is just beginning.
Election procedures and results
The polling stations closed last night at 6 p.m. and the first votes are now being counted. The situation is as follows: 572 of 1006 polling stations have already been counted. The final count, which also includes the election for the city council and the nine district representatives, could last until Monday, informed people calf.
In order to be elected as the new mayor today, a candidate needs at least 50 percent of the votes. If this does not succeed, there will be a runoff election on September 28th in which the two candidates with the most votes will have to compete against each other again.
The importance of local elections
This mayoral election is part of the local elections, which are an important part of the political system in Germany. The political environment is strongly influenced by local issues, and voters often show a preference for smaller parties and civic groups. As the Federal Agency for Civic Education explained, the Basic Law regulates local elections to ensure that the people are represented.
A total of over 817,622 people are eligible to vote in Cologne and were allowed to go to the polls on Sunday. In addition to the election of the mayor, 90 seats in the city council and the nine district councils will also be filled. Voter turnout in local elections is often lower than in state or federal elections, which underlines the importance of an exciting election evening.
This evening, the people of Cologne are called upon to cast their votes and thus help determine the direction of the city for the coming years. The count remains exciting and it remains to be seen how the political cards will be reshuffled in Cologne.