Mayoral election in Meissen begins

In Meissen, 22,752 eligible voters are being called upon today to elect a new Lord Mayor for the city. Three candidates are standing for election: Martin Bahrmann (38) is standing for the FDP, Markus Renner (45) is independent and René Jurisch (51) is not a member of the AfD, but is standing for this party. The previous mayor, Olaf Rasche, is not standing for re-election. The independent incumbent had led the city for 21 years.

According to the city, 189 poll workers are on duty at 15 polling stations. These have been open since 8.00 am. The provisional results are expected in the evening. If none of the three candidates receives an absolute majority, a second round of voting will be necessary on September 28. The candidate who receives the most votes will then win.

AfD candidate reckons he has a good chance

Since the AfD became the strongest force in Meissen in the city council elections in June 2024 with around 32.9 percent, it now also reckons it has a good chance of being elected mayor.

The fact that Jurisch, who is close to the AfD, was briefly a member of the far-right NPD around 25 years ago has attracted attention. FDP candidate Bahrmann received 14.9 percent of the vote in the first round and 13.6 percent in the second round of the last mayoral election. Markus Renner has been Mayor of Finance since 2016 and, as Raschke's deputy, is most familiar with the matter. He enjoys support from other parties.