The run-off elections by post start

The postal ballot documents for the run-off elections for the municipal elections will be sent out from Thursday. This applies to the run-off election for Lord Mayor and for the district mayors in the districts of Jena-Süd, Jena-Nord, Jena-West, Jena-Zentrum, Neulobeda and Wenigenjena. Applications can be submitted until June 5, online only until June 3. The postal voting documents must be returned so that they can be delivered to the city on Friday, June 7. They can be posted in the city's deadline letterbox until midnight on Saturday, June 8. On election Sunday, the letters can be handed in at the election center at Engelplatz 1 by 6 p.m. at the latest.

Postal voting documents can also be requested in person at the postal voting office on Engelplatz (between the Citizens' Service and the Ernst Abbe Library) until Friday, June 7. From Thursday, it will also be possible to vote here immediately for the run-off elections in addition to the European elections. The postal voting office is open on Mondays and Fridays from 8.30 am to 1.00 pm, Tuesdays from 8.30 am to 6.00 pm, Wednesdays from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm and Thursdays from 8.30 am to 4.00 pm. On Friday, June 7, the postal polling station will be open until 6 pm.

The electoral committee confirmed the provisional results of the local elections on Tuesday evening. The official final results are now available:

CDU emerges as the strongest force in the city council election

The CDU has emerged as the strongest force in the city council elections with 16.9 percent of the vote. The LINKE followed in second place with 16.8 percent. The Greens achieved 15.2 percent. They were followed by the AfD with 13.4 percent, the SPD with 13 percent and the FDP with 9 percent. The Citizens for Jena won 6.9% of the vote, the Volt Party 5.2%, the Citizens for Thuringia 1.9% and the Independent Voters 1.6%.

This means that the CDU and the LINKE each have eight of the 46 seats on the Jena City Council. The Greens have seven seats and the SPD and AfD six each. The FDP received four seats, the Citizens for Jena three, the Volt Party two and the Citizens for Thuringia and the Independent Voters one seat each.

Voter turnout was 63%, almost identical to the 2019 figure of 63.1%. 82,605 citizens were eligible to vote, 52,054 of whom exercised their right to vote. 17,864 eligible voters used the postal vote. 1,521 votes were counted as invalid. In total, there were 150,726 valid votes (each voter had three votes in the city council election).

Lord Mayor or Lord Mayoress? Run-off election between Dr. Thomas Nitzsche and Kathleen Lützkendorf

It has not yet been decided who will become Jena's Lord Mayor. Incumbent Dr. Thomas Nitzsche (FDP) achieved 25.3 percent of the vote, while Kathleen Lützkendorf from the Green Party received 15.4 percent. A run-off election will be held between them on June 9 - together with the European elections. Every eligible voter has one vote. The candidate with the most valid votes cast wins the election.

A total of seven candidates and one female candidate ran for mayor. Jens Thomas (LINKE) came third with 13.4 percent of the vote. Danny Jankowski (AfD) achieved 12.7 percent, Dr. Stephan Wydra (CDU) 12.1 percent, Johannes Schleußner (SPD) 11.7 percent, Ulf Weißleder (Bürger für Jena) 7.5 percent and Peter Gutjahr (non-party) 1.9 percent.

Six run-off elections for the district mayor

In most districts of Jena, it has already been decided who will be the district mayor. Some of them were elected by a large majority on Sunday. In six districts, however, no candidate managed to achieve more than 50 percent of the vote. The first-placed candidate and the second-strongest candidate will have to compete in the run-off election on June 9. Here - as in the mayoral election - the winner is the candidate who receives the most valid votes cast.

In Jena North, Dr. Vietze, Christoph (SPD) received 49.8 percent of the vote and Felix Osterloh (DIE LINKE) 24.2 percent.

In Jena-South, Christina Prothmann (GRÜNE) achieved 32 percent and Dr. Beate Jonscher (DIE LINKE) 21.3 percent.

In Jena-West , 30.4 percent of the vote went to Dr. Christoph Nonnast and 25.5 percent to Jens Thomas (DIE LINKE).

In Jena-Zentrum, 49.1 percent of voters cast their vote for Cornelia Förster (GREENS) and 20.7 percent for Katja Funke-Schreinert.

In Neulobeda, Volker Blumentritt (SPD) achieved 49.2 percent and Konstantin Freuer (CDU) 25.8 percent.

In Wenigenjena, Bastian Stein (CDU) achieved 40.4 percent and Dr. Franz , Margret (GRÜNE) 27.8 percent.

Citizens in these districts are invited to go to the polls again on June 9.

What happens after the run-off election?

The constituent meeting of the city council will take place on June 19. On June 20, the newly elected and re-elected district mayors will be sworn in. The Lord Mayor takes office on July 1.

You can find an overview of all the results here:
https://wahlen.jena.de/de