Electoral fusion is barred due to existing legislative conditions
County Administrator Achim Hallerbach is facing a dilemma regarding the election dates for the county council and mayors in County Neuwied, Germany. The term of his office ends on December 31, 2025, but the current laws of the state prevent the bundling of elections for the mentioned dates.
The Association of Cities of Neuwied (ADD) confirmed in a letter last week that the elections for the County Council and mayors can take place no earlier than April 6, 2025. This time limit also applies to mayors, as stated in § 53 Para. 5 of the Municipal Code.
However, the federal election date of February 23, 2025, falls before the legally prescribed period for Hallerbach's election to be simultaneous. The sudden death of Nikolaus Roth necessitated early elections for the mayor of Neuwied, making the mayoral election on February 23, 2025, compatible with the Municipal Code. The city of Neuwied is an exception in this case.
The agreement on the election date of April 6, 2025, was made within the municipal family, but a conflict with the federal election date on February 23, 2025, was not foreseen at the time. County Administrator Hallerbach advocates for a joint election date for Bundestag, County Council, and mayors of Asbach, Rengsdorf-Waldbreitbach, Puderbach, and Neuwied on February 23, 2025.
Despite his efforts, changes to allow joint election dates can be made at the state level through legislative action, but there are no publicly known current initiatives or defined timeframes for such reforms as of mid-2025. Currently, there is no widely reported national or state-level effort explicitly aiming to synchronize federal, county council, and mayoral elections on the same date across Germany.
County Administrator Hallerbach encourages everyone to exercise their right to vote on February 23 and April 6, 2025, emphasizing the importance of democracy. He regrets that a change in state law to allow the combined elections seems unlikely in the current time frame.
County Administrator Hallerbach is advocating for a joint election date for the Bundestag, County Council, and mayors of Asbach, Rengsdorf-Waldbreitbach, Puderbach, and Neuwied on February 23, 2025, despite the legislation that prevents the bundling of elections for the County Council and mayors in County Neuwied. The ongoing debate surrounding policy-and-legislation could potentially lead to changes in the electoral system, but as of mid-2025, there are no widely reported national or state-level efforts explicitly aiming to synchronize federal, county council, and mayoral elections on the same date across Germany, making the current situation a challenging aspect of politics in County Neuwied mentioned within the realm of general-news.
