Two weeks following local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, numerous municipalities held runoff elections, producing several surprising outcomes.
In Dortmund, the third-largest city in the country, Alexander Kalouti of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) secured a victory, marking the first time since 1946 that a CDU candidate has held the mayoral office. He garnered approximately 53% of the vote, surpassing incumbent Thomas Westphal of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who received roughly 47%.
Cologne has elected Torsten Burmester of the SPD as its next mayor. With nearly all votes tallied, Burmester achieved an unassailable lead with around 54% of the vote, significantly outpacing Berivan Aymaz of the Green Party. The previous incumbent, Henriette Reker, did not seek re-election.
Düsseldorf saw a strong reaffirmation of the CDU, with incumbent Stephan Keller securing a clear victory with approximately 60% of the vote. He outpaced his challenger, Clara Gerlach of the Green Party.
In Essen, incumbent mayor Thomas Markus Kufen of the CDU retained his position, receiving approximately 57% of the vote, while Julia Klewin of the SPD received roughly 43%.
Duisburg, the largest municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia to hold a runoff election involving the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, saw a decisive result. Incumbent Sören Link of the SPD received a substantial 79% of the vote, while Carsten Groß of the AfD received approximately 21%, a figure only marginally higher than in the initial round.
Bochum elected Jörg Lukat with approximately 65% of the vote, following the departure of incumbent Thomas Eiskirch. Lukat, supported by his SPD and Green party colleagues, defeated Andreas Bracke of the CDU, who received 35%.
Wuppertal has elected Miriam Scherff of the SPD as its new mayor, in a decisive victory for the young politician. The 36-year-old received approximately 75% of the vote, significantly ahead of Matthias Nocke of the CDU, who received 25%.
Bielefeld witnessed a shift in political leadership, as Christiana Bauer of the CDU secured victory with around 52% of the vote, defeating Ingo Nürnberger of the SPD. This marks a change in leadership after 16 years.
In Bonn, incumbent mayor Katja Dörner of the Green Party has been succeeded by Guido Déus of the CDU, who secured approximately 54% of the vote.
Münster, traditionally a stronghold for the Green Party, has elected Tilman Fuchs of the Green Party as its mayor. Fuchs received approximately 58% of the vote, defeating Georg Lunemann of the CDU. The popular Markus Lewe (CDU) did not seek re-election.
In Gelsenkirchen, where the AfD also progressed to the runoff election, their candidate Norbert Emmerich was unsuccessful. Andrea Henze of the SPD emerged victorious with approximately 67% of the vote, while Emmerich received roughly 33%, a mere three points higher than in the initial round.
