Overview

• On June 26, the CDU’s district board unanimously nominated city faction leader Willo Göpel as its candidate to ensure “Potsdam functions again” and offer a clear civic alternative
• Noosha Aubel, a non-partisan former Potsdam official backed by the Greens and Die Andere, and AfD city faction chair Chaled-Uwe Said have already declared their bids
• The SPD will decide on Berlin economic state secretary Severin Fischer as its nominee at a party congress on July 5
• The election was scheduled about a year early after citizens removed Mayor Mike Schubert over alleged mismanagement, stagnation and a VIP-ticket scandal
• With multiple contenders expected to split the vote, observers foresee no candidate winning an absolute majority and anticipate an October 12 runoff