Markus Renner has been elected as the new mayor of Meissen. The non-party candidate received 58.5 percent of the vote in the first round of voting on Sunday after a preliminary count. The 45-year-old has been Mayor of Finance since 2016 and deputy to the previous incumbent Olaf Raschke, who did not run again after 21 years in the town hall.
The AfD-affiliated candidate René Jurisch received 30.4 percent of the vote. FDP candidate Martin Bahrmann received 11.1 percent of the vote. Voter turnout was 52.3 percent. 22,752 eligible voters were called upon to elect a new mayor for the city.
The AfD had thought its candidate stood a good chance: In June 2024, the party had become the strongest force in the Meissen city council with around 32.9 percent. Although René Jurisch is not a member of the AfD, he stood for the party. The fact that the 51-year-old building contractor was briefly a member of the far-right NPD around 25 years ago attracted attention. The Saxon AfD is classified as right-wing extremist by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, but is legally defending itself against this.
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