Suche
Mein Konto
Criticism of Luckenwalde: Why three mayoral candidates are missing!
On July 7, 2025, mayoral candidates in Luckenwalde will discuss cultural funding, organized by the BDTF.
Criticism of Luckenwalde: Why three mayoral candidates are missing!
Things get exciting in Luckenwalde. On Monday, July 7th, an event organized by the “Alliance Democratic Teltow-Fläming e.V.” will take place in the city pool. (BDTF), which deals with the topics of economy and culture. This is part of a series aimed at creating an open exchange to promote local culture. Three candidates for the mayoral election were invited to the event: Matthias Grunert from the SPD, Jochen Neumann, who is independent, and Gordon Roth from “Together for Luckenwalde”.
The mayoral election in Luckenwalde is firmly on the calendar for September 28th. A total of seven candidates were nominated for this, but only three found their way to the event. The uninvited candidates, including Sven Eppinger and Andreas Teichert, sharply criticize the BDTF's decision and see it as a lack of transparency and democracy. They have already made it clear that they will not accept the invitation. However, of the four candidates who were not invited, Olaf Wendel and Felix Menzel want to take part.
Felix Menzel – A candidate with a profile
Felix Menzel, who was nominated by the CDU as a candidate for mayor, is 37 years old and a father. Menzel brings a variety of experiences, including as a consultant in the Ministry of Justice and Digitalization in Potsdam, as well as as President of the 1st Luckenwalder Sports Club. Formerly a junior European champion in freestyle wrestling, he has also served as a member of the district council. His goals for Luckenwalde are clear: to advance the city economically, promote social cohesion and further develop Luckenwalde as a sports city.
The BDTF bases its selection of the invited candidates on their practical feasibility and the different perspectives they can bring to the promotion of culture. Although this event is not called an electoral forum, the BDTF plans to create a space for all seven candidates in the second half of the program to also provide a platform for the other voices.
The importance of local elections
The upcoming local elections in Germany, which also include the mayoral election in Luckenwalde, are of great importance. They include not only the election of local parliaments, but also the direct election of mayors. According to [bpb], these elections are anchored in the Basic Law and are intended to ensure representation of the people through free and equal elections. As a rule, mayors are elected for five to eight years. What is interesting is that mayoral elections are usually deeply linked to local conditions and specific party systems.
The possibility for voters to either cumulate or diversify their votes also increases the chances for smaller parties. Since 2008, smaller groups have also been able to take part in elections without a threshold clause, which brings new dynamics to political competition.
It remains to be seen how the election campaign will develop until the election on September 28th and what role criticism of the event's distorted invitation list will play. Candidates for mayor have the chance to present their ideas and visions, and it is clear: there is still a lot to do for the future development of Luckenwalde.