High percentage support for AfD-Mann in local election voted
In the upcoming runoff election for the Sonneberg county commissioner position in Thuringia, Germany, Robert Sesselmann (AfD) and Jürgen Köpper (CDU) are set to face off on June 25.
The election was triggered due to the long-term illness of the county commissioner elected in 2018, Hans-Peter Schmitz (independent). Jürgen Köpper, who has been acting as county commissioner since March, has been handling the county's business for a longer period.
In the first round of the election, Robert Sesselmann nearly won half of the votes, securing 46.7 percent, while Jürgen Köpper received 35.7 percent. This close result indicates a tight race in the runoff.
Thuringia's SPD chief, Georg Maier, has called for a vote for Köpper, while Björn Höcke, the leader of the Thuringian AfD, which is classified as a verifiably right-wing extremist endeavour by the state constitutional protection office and is under observation, tweeted about Sesselmann achieving the best AfD result in the first round.
Bodo Ramelow, Thuringia's Minister President, expressed disappointment with the voter turnout of 49.1 percent in the Sonneberg county election, while Thomas Kemmerich, Thuringia's FDP chief, also spoke out in favour of Köpper.
Nancy Schwalbach (Greens) and Anja Schönheit (SPD), who were supported by the Left and Greens, did not make it to the runoff. The region in the Sonneberg district is one of the economically strong ones in Thuringia.
A potential signal from the Sonneberg district that international specialists are no longer welcome could be a problem for the region, according to some local sources.
Without specific current polling or projection data on this particular runoff, it is not possible to definitively state who is more likely to win. The outcome would hinge on the local electorate's preferences and voter mobilization in the runoff.
For updated and specific insights, it is recommended to check local Thuringian news sources, official election websites, or live election coverage close to the election date.
The upcoming runoff election in Sonneberg county, Thuringia, is anticipated to be a close race between Robert Sesselmann (AfD) and Jürgen Köpper (CDU), as policy-and-legislation and politics are at the core of the election narrative. This general-news event has seen a significant shift in the political landscape, with some local sources indicating potential implications for international relations due to immigration-related issues.
