Marion Franz (CDU) was the clear winner of the mayoral election in Heidenau. However, according to the provisional election results, Franz fell short of the necessary absolute majority with 44.5 percent of the vote. Conny Oertel for the Heidenau citizens' initiative came second with 24.1 percent.
As Franz fell short of an absolute majority, a second round of voting is necessary. This is planned for April 13. The candidate who receives the highest number of valid votes, i.e. the relative majority, will then be elected.
Max Schreiber, candidate of the small far-right party Freie Sachen, came third with 16.4% of the vote. As the AfD did not put up a candidate, his party thought it had a chance of winning the election. Close behind was Christoph Mitschke for the Upper Elbe Citizens' Initiative for More Democracy with 15 percent. Voter turnout was around 50 percent.
The mayoral election in the town of 16,500 inhabitants in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district was brought forward by a year, as the previous, long-standing incumbent Jürgen Opitz (CDU) is retiring on 1 May. Opitz was elected mayor for the first time in 2012.
