Ulm's Run-Off Election for Lord Mayor: What to Expect
After failing to secure an absolute majority in the initial election on December 3rd, Ulm is set to hold a run-off election for its Lord Mayor position on Sunday. Gunter Czisch (CDU) and Martin Ansbacher (SPD) are the two contenders, with the incumbent Czisch garnering 43.16% of the votes and Ansbacher securing 29.74% in the prior election.
Czisch, a 60-year-old politician, has served as Ulm's Lord Mayor since 2016, and previously held the position of mayor in the Danube city. Ansbacher, a lawyer and district chairman of the Ulm SPD since 2019, has been a member of Ulm's municipal council since 2014.
An election challenge was lodged by non-party candidate Daniel Langhans, who accused the elections committee of counting votes erroneously. However, the provisional result seems unaffected by this objection, with the regional council asserting that a re-run or new election would only be required if the election result could have been different without the error.
Martin Ansbacher, the SPD candidate, raised concerns about potential manipulations in the vote count in certain municipalities within Baden-Württemberg, suggesting that these irregularities could have impacted Gunter Czisch's (CDU) chance of securing an absolute majority in the first round of elections.
While these allegations have sparked debate, neither the regional council nor other sources have presented concrete evidence to warrant a cancellation of the initial vote or a re-run.
Further Reading
- The SPD candidate in Ulm's Lord Mayor run-off elections, Martin Ansbacher, asserted that manipulations in the vote count in specific municipalities in Baden-Württemberg could potentially have influenced the result in favor of his rival Gunter Czisch (CDU), coining the phrase "stitch selection" to describe the alleged threats.
- During a campaign event in Donaustadt, Ansbacher emphasized the importance of fair elections and accused Gunter Czisch's party of manipulating the vote count in some municipalities, which they vehemently denied.
- Martin Ansbacher accused the Elections Committee of not recognizing the irregularities in the vote count in certain municipalities, arguing that this could have impacted the outcome of the first round of elections two weeks ago.
- Following an analysis of the voting data in Baden-Württemberg by SPD experts, Martin Ansbacher called for an urgent investigation into potential voting manipulations in some municipalities during the Ulm Lord Mayor elections.
- Despite the assertions of SPD candidate Martin Ansbacher regarding possible voting manipulations, the regional council in Tübingen remains optimistic about the run-off election proceeding as planned, declaring that despite the absence of substantial evidence, a cancellation of the initial vote or a re-run is not imminent.
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