Potsdam voters have delivered aโฃ stunning rebuke โคto the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which has โheld the mayoralty since 1990, โคpropellingโ non-party candidate Noosha Aubel into a runoff election. Aubel garnered 36.9 percent of โtheโ vote in Sunday’s election,considerably outpacing SPD candidate Pierre Esser,who received 29.5 percent. Approximately 143,000 residents were eligible โto vote,โ with turnout reachingโ 55.5 percent – a 2.5 percent increase compared to the โ2018 municipal election.The outcome marks a dramatic shift in potsdam’s โฃpolitical landscape, fueledโ by public dissatisfaction with former mayor Mike Schubert, who โwas ousted in a โcitizens’ โdecision in May โคfollowingโ criticism related to acceptingโค free tickets – a “VIP ticket affair” โข- for โhimself and his wife. Schubert’s term was set to conclude in autumn 2026, but the scandal and subsequent examination by the Neuruppin public prosecutor’s office, which concluded with a 34,000 euro settlement, triggered the early vote.
Aubel’s strong showing signals a desire for change among Potsdam residents. โTheโฃ runoff election, scheduled โfor October โ27th, will pit Aubel โagainst โคEsser, offeringโ voters a clear choice between a political newcomer and โtheโข established โSPD. Previous mayors include Horst Gramlich (1990-1998), Matthias Platzeck (1998-2002), Jann Jakobs (2002-2018), andโข Schubert (2018-2025).