No winner in the first round of the mayoral election in Weißwasser

No candidate prevailed in the first round of the mayoral election in Weißwasser. Swantje Schneider-Trunsch, candidate of the Klartext voters' association, achieved the best result with 35.3 percent. Independent candidate Katja Dietrich received 34.7% of the vote and David Kreiselmeier from the AfD 30%. No one achieved the required absolute majority, which is why the second round of voting in the town of 15,000 inhabitants in the district of Görlitz is scheduled for September 29.

In mayoral elections in Saxony, an absolute majority of more than 50 percent of the vote is required to win in the first round. If this is not achieved, a second ballot is held in which the candidate with the most votes wins. Mayors in Saxony are elected for seven years.

Schneider-Trunsch was on the ballot as the successor to incumbent Torsten Pötzsch for the Klartext voters' association, supported by the CDU city association. The 46-year-old has worked in the City of Weißwasser's finance department since 2021 and has been Head of Finance and Culture since January 2023.

Dietrich is a member of the SPD, but stood as an independent candidate. The 43-year-old economic geographer works at the Saxon Agency for Structural Development. The 38-year-old David Kreiselmeier stood for election for the AfD. He works as a specialist teacher for music and computer science at a secondary school in the district of Görlitz.

Office holder Pötzsch did not run

The incumbent Lord Mayor Torsten Pötzsch did not run again for family and health reasons. He had been mayor of the city in eastern Saxony since 2010. He had previously founded the Klartext voters' association with like-minded people. His work brought him national recognition. In 2020, he was awarded the German National Prize of the German National Foundation, endowed with 30,000 euros, for his commitment against hatred and division in society.