Fresh Face Kretzschmar Wins Mayor Race Over AfD's Stadtkewitz in Zehdenick
- Kretzschmar Takes Office as Mayor in Zehdenick; Preexisted as AfD-Affiliated Figure
Get ready, Zehdenick! The independent candidate Alexander Kretzschmar has snatched the Mayor title, outrunning AfD's René Stadtkewitz in a runoff election with a whopping 63% versus Stadtkewitz's 37%. Notably, voter turnout dropped from 72.6% in the initial round to 53.7% in the runoff. Kretzschmar champions a citizen-centric administration, promising to boost opportunities for kids and youngsters.
Nip and Tuck in First Round
In the initial round of voting, Kretzschmar managed to edge past Stadtkewitz, securing 37.5% of the votes compared to Stadtkewitz's 37.3%. Stadtkewitz, a former CDU politician, defected in 2010 to launch the Die Freiheit party. He later joined the AfD in 2024. If he had won, Stadtkewitz would have been the sole full-time mayor in Brandenburg, following Arne Raue (AfD), who relocated to the Bundestag.
Bidding Farewell: The Youngest Mayor Steps Down
Lucas Halle (SPD), the 14,000-strong city's previous Mayor, bowed out last year due to health issues. He had been Germany's youngest full-time Mayor in 2022.
- Runoff Election
- AfD
- René Stadtkewitz
- Children
City's New Sheriff: A Quick Gleam into René Stadtkewitz's Past
Stadtkewitz, a Berlin native, trained as a metallurgist and served in the military before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Recently, he ran as an AfD candidate in Zehdenick's mayoral election, with a background as a CDU member and co-founder of the German Freedom Party. Falling short in the runoff election, Stadtkewitz had garnered 37% of the votes, amid controversy and political turmoil, as outlined below:
Controversial Career in CDU and German Freedom Party
- CDU and Anti-Islam Activism: Expelled from the CDU amid the controversy of inviting Geert Wilders to speak, Stadtkewitz had been a vocal critic against the construction of a mosque in Berlin, labeling Islam as a "political religion" unfit for integration in Europe.
- German Freedom Party: Stadtkewitz co-founded the German Freedom Party in 2010 and led it until 2013, supporting initiatives against Islamic terrorism and attending counter-jihad conferences.
Stadtkewitz's political stance leans towards the AfD's conservative and anti-immigration policies, reflecting his skepticism towards multiculturalism, nationalist views, and a strong counter-jihad stance.
With Kretzschmar taking the helm, let's see how he steers Zehdenick forward in the coming years!
The Commission has been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of the environment, as the new Mayor of Zehdenick, Alexander Kretzschmar, promises to boost opportunities for children and youngsters in the city. René Stadtkewitz, the youngest Mayor of Germany who stepped down recently due to health issues, had a controversial career in CDU and the German Freedom Party, advocating for anti-Islam activism and conservative, anti-immigration policies, before joining AfD and running for the mayoral election in Zehdenick.
