Overview

• Christian Hartphiel of the SPD defeated AfD candidate Christian Bork in Templin’s mayoral runoff, winning 53.8% to 46.2%.
• The election was triggered by former mayor Detlef Tabbert’s appointment to Brandenburg’s state cabinet, leaving the position vacant.
• The AfD had aimed to secure its second full-time mayoralty in Brandenburg, following Arne Raue’s tenure in Jüterbog.
• Templin, a city of 16,000 residents and the childhood home of Angela Merkel, remains under SPD leadership after the closely watched race.
• Attention now shifts to Jüterbog, where a new mayoral election will be held on June 29 following Raue’s move to the Bundestag.