Maracuja-Koalition confirms new city administration leadership

The Maracuja-Koalition, comprising the CDU, Greens, FDP, and Volt, has successfully passed its first personnel proposals in the city assembly. This marks the political conclusion of the 2026 local elections.

Following negotiations, the coalition agreed on a new distribution of departments with Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende. The appointments, serving as officials for a term from September 1, 2026, to August 3, 2032, include:

- Department I (Main Office, Fire Department, Personnel): Gert-Uwe Mende (SPD) - Department II (Economy, Sport, Environment, Urban Planning, Order, and Integration): Christiane Hinninger (Greens) - Department III (School and Culture): Dr. Patricia Becher (SPD) - Department V (Law and Transport): Marc Dahlen (CDU) - Department VI (Social Affairs, Education): Andreas Kowol (Greens) - Department VII (Smart City, Europe): Maral Koohestani (Volt) - Department IV (Treasury): Christian Diers (FDP)

The assembly included controversial debates, with the SPD, Left Party, and AfD criticizing the coalition's personnel policies, planned austerity measures, and the direction of specific departments.