SPD‘s Jennifer Collin-Feeder Defeats AfD challenger in Oranienburg Mayoral Runoff
Oranienburg, Germany – Jennifer Collin-Feeder of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has been elected mayor of Oranienburg, decisively defeating AfD candidate Anja Waschkau in a runoff election held today. Collin-Feeder secured 59.6 percent of the vote, while Waschkau received approximately 40.4 percent, according to preliminary results announced by election officials. The outcome marks a significant win for the SPD in a town where the far-right AfD had gained considerable traction.
The election is being closely watched as a bellwether of political sentiment in Brandenburg, a state where the AfD has been steadily increasing its support. Oranienburg, located north of Berlin and home to the Sachsenhausen Memorial - a former concentration camp now serving as a place of remembrance - has become a focal point in debates surrounding German identity and the rise of right-wing extremism.This result demonstrates a rejection of the AfD’s platform by a majority of Oranienburg voters.
Voter turnout for the runoff election was 56.0 percent, with nearly 40,300 eligible voters participating. Collin-Feeder will assume office on January 5, 2026, serving an eight-year term and succeeding current mayor Alexander Laesicke, who has held the position since 2018.
The need for a runoff arose because no candidate achieved an absolute majority in the first round of voting. In that initial round, waschkau led with 28.1 percent, followed by Collin-Feeder with 19.1 percent. Laesicke garnered 13.2 percent, while other candidates – Stefanie Rose (The Left, 16.3 percent), Heiko Wolfgang Zillmann (15.6 percent), Sascha Mielke (6.5 percent), and Rick Grothe (The Party, 1.1 percent) – trailed behind.