Five candidates want to become district administrator in Central Saxony

Four men and one woman are running to succeed Dirk Neubauer (non-party) as District Administrator of Central Saxony. The district election committee has confirmed all five nominations submitted, the district administration office announced. The Free Voters and the CDU are putting Freiberg's Lord Mayor Sven Krüger in the running. District councillor Jens Tamke is running for the AfD, while the SPD has nominated Mario Lorenz. The Left Party is putting forward Cindy Reimer - the only woman on the ballot paper. Stefan Trautmann is standing for the far-right Free Saxons.

Neubauer had won the top seat in the district administration as a non-party candidate in 2022 and was supported by the SPD, the Left Party and the Greens. His term of office would normally have lasted until 2029, but he announced his withdrawal in July. He justified this step primarily with personal hostility from the right and a lack of opportunities to assert himself. He has been out of office since October 1, with the first deputy taking over.

The new district administrator will be elected on January 26. Around 240,000 people in the district are called to vote. If no candidate achieves an absolute majority, a second ballot is required. This could coincide with the early federal election on February 23.