Glienicke is re-electing: Six candidates are fighting for the mayor's office!

Glienicke is re-electing: Six candidates are fighting for the mayor's office!

There are signs of change in Glienicke/Nordbahn: a new mayor will be elected on September 21, 2025. The incumbent mayor Dr. Günther Oberlack from the FDP, who has been in office since 2010 and was re-elected in 2017 with over 59 percent of the vote, is no longer running after 16 years. Voters are therefore faced with the challenge of choosing from a large number of candidates who are striving to succeed them. Around 10,500 eligible voters are called to cast their votes, which promises tense weeks in the community.

One thing is already certain: The CDU has nominated a candidate, Arno Steguweit. This prevailed on December 18, 2024 at the local branch of the CDU in an internal party vote against Mirco Mittelbach. Steguweit is still politically inexperienced, but can look back on some successes in the 2024 local elections, where he received 414 votes and secured his party's largest group gain in the local council with 32.8 percent. It is interesting that he also works as a sommelier in his own wine shop, “Arnos Weinladen”, and could therefore strive for acceptance in the community.

Candidate diversity and political landscape

In addition to Steguweit, other candidates are in the starting blocks: Uwe Klein from the SPD, who ran against Oberlack in 2017, as well as André Spannemann from the AfD, Lydia Neilson from the Greens and two independent candidates, Michael Breier and Mario Eberhardt. The SPD is expected to choose its candidate in spring 2025, with parliamentary group leader Susanne Kübler also being discussed.

The Greens and the AfD are still cautious in this phase and prefer to initially concentrate on the federal election campaign that is taking place at the same time. The FDP will also not put forward its own candidate in order not to weaken the bourgeois camp, while the Left plans to make recommendations instead of nominating its own candidates. The Glienicke Citizens' List, which did not run in the last local elections, is also unlikely to be represented.

Electoral procedures and voting

Local elections in Germany, like the upcoming one in Glienicke, are characterized by their special framework conditions. According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education reported, these elections are often shaped by local issues and offer the population the opportunity to participate directly in the formation of political will.

After the election, it is important to note: If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, there will be a runoff election between the two best-placed candidates on October 12th. The election winner will therefore determine those votes with a simple majority, which could make the election even more exciting.

The political landscape in Glienicke will therefore fundamentally change. Citizens are now asked to cast their vote and take an active part in this important process. It remains to be seen which candidate will win and how this will affect community development.