Overview

• Alexander Omar Kalouti (CDU) won Dortmund’s mayoralty, ending decades of SPD rule, while the SPD captured Cologne with Torsten Burmester.
• The SPD says it still holds the most mayoral posts in NRW, reporting 13 city leaders despite setbacks in key races.
• The AfD failed to secure any mayor’s office in the runoffs, losing in Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen and Hagen after recent vote-share gains.
• The Greens secured Münster’s top post but lost Bonn and Aachen, reflecting broader losses compared with their 2020 high point.
• Mülheim reversed its preliminary result after a counting error, now putting CDU incumbent Marc Buchholz ahead of SPD’s Nadia Khalaf pending official confirmation, and ultra‑tight finishes in Siegen and Datteln could prompt recounts.