Overview

• In Dortmund, CDU candidate Alexander Omar Kalouti won the mayoral runoff with about 52.9 percent, ending nearly eight decades of SPD leadership.
• In Cologne, SPD candidate Torsten Burmester captured the mayoralty with roughly 53.5 percent over the Greens’ Berivan Aymaz.
• Mülheim an der Ruhr corrected its provisional result after misattributed postal votes, now showing CDU incumbent Marc Buchholz narrowly ahead; the local election committee is set to certify the result on Thursday as the SPD considers legal review.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CDU leaders framed the outcomes as validation of their approach, while SPD leaders called the Dortmund loss painful and pledged to adjust style and program to rebuild trust.
• The Greens won Münster but lost previously held posts in Bonn and Aachen, and ultra‑tight finishes in Siegen and Datteln could prompt recounts or further checks.