What are local elections?
Local elections are held in cities, towns or counties. It is voted on by the people’s representatives of the municipalities and municipalities, elected mayors and district councilors. Like the Bundestag elections, the local elections in Germany, as in all democratic states, are free and secret. But unlike the federal elections, the local elections are a matter for the state. That is why every German state has its own municipal electoral law. It may vary from state to state in different ways. This starts with the election period, which is between 4 and 6 years old. Different is the minimum voting age. In 9 federal states the right to vote in 16 years, in the remaining 18 years. There are also differences in the electoral system and the seat distribution procedure, as in the case of the exclusion clause. Some states have the 5 percent hurdle, others lower or none. In the local elections, unlike the general election, not only parties but also voter groups can stand for election.
The local elections in 2014
In 2014 there are many local elections in Germany. In March, the county councils, as well as the city and local councils are elected in Bavaria, in May are municipal elections in Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden -Wurttemberg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saarland, Saxony and Thuringia. Then the county councils, city councils, local councils and local councils are elected in these federal states. Also in May Hamburg chooses the district assemblies. In September, a new state parliament is elected in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia.
The local elections in Bavaria
The Bavarian state government has set the date for the municipal city and district elections on the 14.03.2014 and the date for any necessary ballot elections on 30.03.2014. Due to the administrative division of Bavaria, both the lower-level municipal councils (municipal and city councils) and the upper-level municipal councils (district councils) are determined in separate ballots at an election date. In the district-free Bavarian cities only the city councilors and the mayors are elected. Exceptions exist only in the independent cities, where the term of office of the mayors and district councils does not end at the same time as the municipal elections.
The Municipal Election in Würzburg
The City Council in Würzburg will also be holding the election of a new City Council and a new Lord Mayor on 16 March 2014. Candidates for the post of mayor al-Ghusain (SPD), Wolfgang Baumann (future for Würzburg), Reimund Binder (ÖDP), Dominik Metzger (pirates), Philipp Niggi (WUE21), Wolfgang Roth (CSU), Charlotte Schlossareck (Bürgerforum Würzburg) and Christian Schuchardt (CSU / FDP / Würzburg list).