In Bad Köstritz, a tragic incident occurred on the sidelines of the Thuringia election. A female voter collapsed and passed away while on her way to the polling station to cast her vote. The incident took place at a school building being used as a polling station in the Greiz district. Despite the untimely death of the voter, the election proceedings continued without further details immediately available.
With four hours remaining until the polling stations closed, slightly over a third of eligible voters had participated in the Thuringia municipal elections. By 2:00 pm, the voter turnout stood at 36.3%, as reported by the State Statistical Office. This figure aligned closely with the turnout rates from the 2019 municipal and European elections at the same point in time. It’s worth noting that the statistics did not encompass absentee voters, with the polling stations scheduled to remain open until 6:00 pm local time.
The Thuringia municipal elections involved decisive choices for 13 district administrators, 94 mayors, including those from the five independent cities, 1,025 neighborhood and village mayors, 17 district councils, and over 600 city and municipal councils. This comprehensive electoral process aimed to determine the leadership within various administrative levels across the region, reflecting the democratic engagement of the citizenry.
As the election results unfold, attention shifts to notable candidates like Bob-Olympics champion André Lange in the Ilm district, vying for a place in the runoff against incumbent Petra Enders. Lange’s performance, endorsed by the CDU, positioned him in third place with 22.9% of the vote in the count from 51 of 136 precincts. The second spot was held by AfD candidate Ralf Gohritz with 26.5% of the vote, while Enders led convincingly at 45.5%. The electoral landscape showcased diverse political dynamics shaping the outcome of the elections throughout Thuringia.