Advertising on the Zeil for the deselection of Mayor Peter Feldmann
A broad political alliance is active on Saturday at the Hauptwache in Frankfurt before the referendum against Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann.
Frankfurt – On this rainy Saturday afternoon you could just snuggle up on the living room sofa. But for Hendrik Gienow that is not an option. Instead, the local politician, a member of the CDU Bockenheim, waits patiently at the information stand at the Hauptwache in Frankfurt, scrutinizing the passers-by: Who returns his gaze? Who could he hand a flyer to? Whom could he address to promote his cause? This concern, which has been on the minds of local politicians from the Greens, CDU, FDP, Volt and SPD for months: to convince as many Frankfurters as possible to vote “yes” in the referendum on November 6th to vote out Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann (SPD).
In order to achieve this, parties of all stripes have come together at the Hauptwache: in addition to CDU politician Gienow, representatives of the Greens, FDP and Volt are also campaigning for votes against Feldmann. Only the SPD is missing. Although she supports the vote-out procedure, Gienow explains that it is up to her members whether she wants to get involved. Therefore, unlike the other four parties, they have not organized any services for the information booth. The SPD does not put up posters either.
Frankfurt: Voting on the deselection of Peter Feldmann is getting closer
The activists of the other four parties are not put off by this. While a few meters away two preachers loudly praise God’s goodness, they tirelessly try to win over passers-by to their goal. This is not so easy. Not just because many would rather aim for the nearest department store than get involved in a conversation about local politics. Gienow says that the majority of Frankfurters he addresses are against Feldmann. But about half of the passers-by do not live in the city and are not allowed to vote. After all, people from the surrounding area also show him a lot of understanding. “We feel so sorry for you for having such a stubborn Lord Mayor; we would vote him out too” – he hears such sentences again and again. Feldmann advocates, on the other hand, appear only occasionally.
Next door, the FDP city councilor Julian Langner discussed with two young women. His bad luck: They don’t live in Frankfurt either, but in the Wetterau. But, says one, a friend of hers lives here. That’s why she wants to find out more to encourage him to vote. Langner hands her a flyer. “Do you have other friends in Frankfurt who could convince you?” he asked. Unfortunately, no.
Frankfurt: 30 percent of those entitled to vote must vote for the result to count
Although many knew about Feldmann’s misconduct, says the FDP politician: “The big problem is that many have not yet realized that 30 percent of those entitled to vote have to vote for the deselection.” Above all, the EU foreigners who are also entitled to vote are often not aware that they could vote.
A good 150,000 votes against the mayor is a high hurdle, admits Hendrik Gienow. Julia Eberz, deputy leader of the Greens in the Römer, and the deputy FDP district leader Sebastian Papke are more optimistic. In the referendum on racetracks seven years ago, there was at least a turnout of a good 20 percent, although only a few people were interested in the topic, says Papke and predicts: “I think we will have a positive surprise on November 6th.” Volt too Chairwoman Grit Winkler speaks of “good conversations” that she has at the information stand: “Many see the deselection as an opportunity.”
Frankfurt: Peter Feldmann breaks his promise of resignation before the vote
On the other hand, a passer-by who has just been handed a flyer by Julian Langner seems skeptical: she wants to know whether the voting-off procedure is really necessary, after all Feldmann had offered to leave in January. Langner shakes his head: “I assure you, he wouldn’t have gone.” The woman doesn’t seem completely convinced, but promises as she walks: “I will vote.” Feldmann has long since cashed in on his promise of resignation at the end of January and now wants to stay until mid-2024 .
That the local politicians otherwise belong to competing parties that attack each other – there is no sign of that at the information stand. On the contrary. Earlier, says Hendrik Gienow, he even came to the aid of a representative of the Greens. He was approached by a drunk football fan who was upset with Greens chairman Ricarda Lang. And Julia Eberz notes that she and her partner, who is active in the CDU, are hanging up posters for the referendum: “This will probably be the first and last time that we can do this together.” (Brigitte Degelmann)
The green sauce festival organizer Maja Wolff is applying in Frankfurt to succeed Feldmann as mayor.