513,000 Frankfurters called to the polls

DThe party alliance of the Greens, CDU, SPD, FDP and Volt in Frankfurt campaigned again on Friday evening at the Hauptwache for the deselection of Mayor Peter Feldmann (SPD). The city council had initiated the vote-out procedure on July 14 – now the voters have the floor. 513,000 Frankfurters are called upon to decide on the political future of the head of the town hall. The polling stations have been open since 8 a.m. and voters can cast their votes until 6 p.m. if they have not already used the option to vote by post. It is the first referendum of this kind in Germany’s fifth largest city.

How high the voter turnout is in the individual districts remains to be seen. According to information from the city, in contrast to, for example, mayor elections, the corresponding figures will only be available after 6 p.m. Samples indicate a clear participation. “In a polling station in Sachsenhausen, around ten percent of those entitled to vote had cast their votes by midday,” reports colleague Manfred Köhler. In another polling station in this part of the city, voter participation is good, according to Patricia Andreae. The helpers said participation would be high enough. According to the electoral board in the IGS in the north end, she is “quite good”, according to Inga Janović.

In a more middle-class polling station in Nied, someone regularly votes. Quite a lot of people are out and about in Höchst, as Carsten Knop reports. But things are different in Griesheim and especially on Kleyerstrasse.

Simple question for eligible voters

The question they have to answer is: “Do you vote for the removal of the Lord Mayor of Frankfurt am Main, Mr. Peter Feldmann?” The answer can also be given by people from EU countries who are entitled to vote and who are allowed to vote in local elections. The mayor is considered voted out if the majority votes accordingly and 154,000 yes votes come together. This corresponds to 30 percent of those entitled to vote. For comparison: Only a little more than 30 percent of those eligible took part in the 2018 mayoral election.

Feldmann is being criticized for the court proceedings in the wake of the AWO scandal, in which he is accused of accepting an advantage. There was also a sexist comment about the flight attendants during the flight to Eintracht’s European Cup game in Seville in May. Last but not least, he drew the displeasure of many Eintracht fans and officials as well as players because he snatched the trophy during the victory celebration without being asked. Opponents of voting out believe Feldmann’s socio-political interests and successes in the fight against aircraft noise.