Oranienburg votes: These six candidates are fighting for the mayor's office!

Oranienburg votes: These six candidates are fighting for the mayor's office!

In Oranienburg, the political race for the mayor's office is in full swing. On September 28, 2023, citizens will have the opportunity to elect their new city leader. There are currently seven candidates in the starting blocks, including the incumbent mayor Alexander Laesicke, who has been steering the city's fortunes for more than seven years. Laesicke, a non-party, has announced that he will run again after taking over the office from his father, Hans-Joachim Laesicke (SPD), in January 2018.
According to [maz-online.de](https://www.maz-online.de/lokales/oberhavel/oranienburg/buergermeisterwahl-oranienburg-2025-diese-sieben-kanten-wollen-buergermeister- Werden-ein-M537CSWUBJCHDICCUVCPYZ2OTI.html), four firm opposing candidates have already submitted their applications, while two more are in the starting blocks. The requirements for non-party applicants are clear: they must collect at least 80 signatures. Heiko Zillmann has already achieved this goal, while others like Mario Schröpfer and Sascha Mielke are still looking for support.

40-year-old Jennifer Collin-Feeder from the SPD is also in the running. She stood for election eight years ago and brings experience with her. Another face in the competition is Stefanie Rose from the Left, who has been a department head for seven years and who also wants to become the first female mayor of Oranienburg - a title that only Hildegard Busse from the SED has previously held between 1974 and 1989. Rose has already been unanimously nominated as a candidate and, according to nd-aktuell.de, is committed to social issues such as affordable housing and sufficient daycare and school places.

Competitive candidates

With a growing number of residents, which has now reached almost 50,000, Oranienburg is a popular location, but it also brings with it challenges. In recent years in particular, the city has gained in importance due to its proximity to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial and the numerous unexploded bombs from the Second World War that have to be regularly defused. Rose is particularly active here and recently reported on progress in bomb disposal.

Not to be forgotten is Anja Waschkau from the AfD, who is considered a new voice on the political stage. In the state election, the AfD achieved 29.2 percent in Oranienburg, making it the second strongest political force. The Left, on the other hand, only received 2.9 percent - a result that is below the national average. Such numbers raise questions. Will voters choose the left despite the rather moderate support? The selection process shows how dynamic and unpredictable the political situation in the city has become.

The importance of choice

The mayoral election in Oranienburg is part of a larger trend in Brandenburg. Since 1993, citizens have elected their mayors directly and since 2010 they have also elected district administrators directly. According to politik-bildung-brandenburg.de, these elections are considered important to strengthen municipal responsibility. Despite the surveys, voter turnout often falls short of expectations. Lack of knowledge about the role of the candidates and a lack of time for personal contact with voters are often the reasons for low participation.

Regardless of whether the candidates can win the citizens' votes, one thing is certain: the discussions that arise around the mayoral election will remain an important aspect of the political landscape in Oranienburg. Perhaps the city will soon have a mayor who will stand up for all citizens - and thus usher in a new era.