Offenburg mayoral election moves to runoff between Benz and Christ

The mayoral election in Offenburg, Germany, has proceeded to a second round after no candidate secured an absolute majority in the first vote held on Sunday. Tobias Benz (CDU), the current mayor of Grenzach-Wyhlen, leads the race with 45.4 percent of the vote.

Julian Christ (SPD), the current mayor of Gernsbach, secured 27.2 percent of the votes, placing him second. The two will face each other in a runoff election scheduled for October 25.

The remaining five independent candidates each received less than 10 percent of the vote. Fritz Düker, supported by the AfD, finished third with 9.1 percent. Voter turnout for the election was reported at 46 percent, slightly lower than the nearly 50 percent turnout recorded in the previous mayoral election eight years ago.