The mayor of Frankfurt, Peter Feldmann (SPD), has to step down from his post. In a Sunday evening referendum, more than 90 percent of voters voted for the early elimination of the mayor. The necessary quorum has also been reached, according to which 30 percent of all citizens entitled to vote must have voted in favor of exclusion. Voter turnout was over 40 percent.
Deselecting the mayor is a rare occurrence
The deselection of a current mayor is – also due to the high quorums – a rare event in local politics. When Feldmann was last re-elected, only 30 percent of those eligible to vote had voted. The deselection vote has now attracted significantly more voters to the polls.
This should also be due to the high waves that the Awo affair over Feldmann has raised in the meantime. Feldmann, in office for ten years, has been in court for a few weeks because he is accused of taking advantage. It is said that he did not clearly separate private and political goals in relation to the welfare of the workers (Awo).
AWO and SPD are closely intertwined
The prosecutor accuses Feldmann of accepting donations and other benefits from Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Awo). His wife worked for the social association with an unusually high salary and an unusually large company car. In return, Feldmann should kindly consider the interests of the social association. Feldmann has always denied the allegations.
The Awo had also been criticized repeatedly in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for dubious business practices and excessive wages. The Nordkurier initiated the Awo affair in 2016. The Awo is traditionally closely intertwined with the SPD.
Feldmann had recently lost the support of almost all parties in Frankfurt. His own party, the SPD, has also called for his resignation. He did not accept that the city council would vote him out of office and therefore started the referendum.
Sexist slogans, European Cup seized
Feldmann had lost sympathy for other events as well, for example when he knocked out a sexist slogan at the expense of stewardesses on a plane and snatched the Frankfurt Eintracht Champions Cup from the Römer. Eintracht management later declared him an undesirable person at the stadium.
And recently he again sparked criticism in court: in a statement read by his lawyer, it was said that he had married his wife due to an unwanted pregnancy. He later apologized to his daughter for passing on her opinion at the time that the baby should be better aborted.
