Potsdam surprisingly chooses new mayor: Schubert's end!

Potsdam surprisingly chooses new mayor: Schubert's end!

Potsdam, Deutschland - The political landscape in Potsdam has changed significantly. On May 25, 2025, Mike Schubert (SPD) was voted out by a citizens' decision. According to information from RBB24, two thirds of the voters voted for his early end of office. The citizens' decision was accompanied by a turnout of 37.2 percent. With 68.3 percent of the votes (36,228 votes), the citizens voted for the deselection, while 31.7 percent (16,793 votes) voted. 161 votes were invalid. The quorum of 25 percent of those entitled to vote was narrowly exceeded.

Criticism of Schubert

Mike Schubert, who has been in office since 2018, was criticized across partys, especially for his leadership and the implementation of decisions of the city council. A VIP ticket affair, in which he had accepted free tickets from sports clubs, also led to a procedure for accepting benefits, but which was stopped. Schubert rejected allegations of corruption, but admitted that he had made himself attackable. Despite the pressure and the repeated allegations of leadership failure, he refused and wanted to leave the decision to the citizens.

The picking of the official business is now in the hands of Mayor Burkhard Exner (SPD), who acts temporarily until the new election. A new election date for the by -election must be set within five months.

Political framework conditions

The deselection of Schubert is not only a personal, but also a party policy problem. He is the second SPD mayor in Potsdam, which was voted out. This could significantly impair the image of the SPD in Brandenburg, especially since the party in the recent elections, including the 2024 local elections, with only 16.6 percent of the vote and the Bundestag election 2025 with 14.8 percent, to fight for voting. The SPD is faced with the challenge of proving itself as a "Brandenburg Party" and possibly a generation change until the state election 2029.

Future of the Mayor's Office

In the discussion about possible successors for Schubert, Daniel Keller, who is currently Minister of Economics, Labor and Energy, and Manja Schüle, the Minister of Science and Culture, is mentioned. However, the latter rejected earlier ambitions to a candidacy. The Mayor's Office in Potsdam is an important springboard for higher political offices, which underlines the importance of the upcoming new election.

The deselection of Mike Schubert is a clear signal of voters in Potsdam and could have far -reaching effects on the political landscape in Brandenburg. In the past, there have been similar descendants that were majority, such as in Frankfurt/Main 2022 or in Potsdam 1998.

about the events and its meaning is being debated intensively, and it remains to be seen in which direction the SPD and urban politics will develop, especially in view of the setback in the form of the election of a reigning mayor.