No one in Rostock expected this: the new election of the mayor is not scheduled for 2026, in five months the citizens will be called to the ballot box again.
Rostock (dpa/mv) – The departure of Claus Ruhe Madsen (independent) as Economics Minister in the state government of Schleswig-Holstein makes it necessary to re-elect the mayor of the Hanseatic city of Rostock. According to state and local election laws, this election must take place no later than five months after the determination of necessity, i.e. Madsen’s resignation, by the election committee. Madsen has to explain his resignation to the citizenry, and the approval of the committee can be assumed, according to the town hall.
The date of the election will also be determined by the citizenship, it can be assumed that this will be shortly before the statutory deadline of the end of November. The law also contains a small restrictive note: “The dismissal can be postponed until the civil servant has duly completed his official duties, but a period of three months must not be exceeded.” But there is no evidence for that.
Until Madsen’s successor takes office, his first deputy, Finance Senator Chris von Wrycz Rekowski (SPD), will be in charge of official business. He was eliminated in the first round of voting in 2019, and in the subsequent runoff Madsen prevailed against Senator for Social Affairs Steffen Bockhahn (left). Observers are currently not assuming that either senator will run again.
In general, the possible candidates are currently holding back. The cards would have to be completely reshuffled, it said. In the largest city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, it is certain that filling the mayor post for Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) is of great importance. It was heard from those close to the state government of the SPD and the left that it would be desirable if the two parties could agree on one person.
