Potsdam has new elections: Aubel leads in the first round with 34%!

Potsdam has new elections: Aubel leads in the first round with 34%!

On September 22, 2025, several important local elections took place in Brandenburg, which will set the tone for many cities and municipalities. The main focus was on the mayoral election in Potsdam, which was eagerly awaited.

Noosha Aubel, who entered the race as an independent candidate, was impressive in the first round with 34% of the vote. Severin Fischer of the SPD came in second with 16.9%, while the CDU and Left candidates were barely behind him, but remained under one percentage point. This gives the SPD hope that it can defend Potsdam's town hall, which has been in its hands since 1990. The elections in Potsdam are attracting not only local but also national attention, especially after the resignation of Mike Schubert, the former city hall boss.

Elections in Frankfurt (Oder) and other cities

In Frankfurt (Oder), Axel Strasser, also independent, achieved a strong starting position with 32.4% of the vote, closely followed by Wilko Möller from the AfD, who received 30.2%. Désirée Schrade from the CDU received 28.8%. The AfD has already announced that it will “pull out all the stops” to win the runoff election. A circumstance that is likely to move not only city politics, but also voters in the region.

There were also exciting developments elsewhere in Brandenburg. In Hennigsdorf, citizens will have a runoff election between incumbent Thomas Günther from the SPD, who achieved a good result with 49.8% of the vote, and Oliver Schönrock from the independents. Promising candidates are also moving on to the next round in Velten and Glienicke/Nordbahn, which underlines the dynamism of local politics in the region.

Importance of local elections

The elections are seen as a crucial point of departure for the coming years. There are almost 30 mayoral elections in Brandenburg this fall, which shows how important these decisions are for the communities. The mayors take on great responsibility for municipal processes and the local quality of life.

After the last elections in Brandenburg, voter turnout was often low. The main reason for the low response is insufficient information about the candidates' tasks and a lack of personal contact between voters and applicants. The next opportunity for citizens to cast their vote is on June 9, 2024, when the next local elections will take place.

But the focus is not just on the elections; the increasing drought in the region is also making people sit up and take notice. Brandenburg's lakes, such as the Straussee near Strausberg, are affected by water loss. This could have additional implications for local politics, as these issues need to be urgently addressed by the new town hall leaders.

The initial results of the elections are promising, but it remains to be seen how the political landscape will develop further. Voters in Potsdam, Frankfurt (Oder) and beyond made important decisions that day that could have a significant impact on future events in the region.

maz-online.de reports that...

rbb-online.de gives an overview of those eligible to vote...

politik-bildung-brandenburg.de explains the direct voting practice in mayoral elections...