Leipzig (dpa) - Saxony's Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow (CDU) surprisingly won the first round of the mayor election in Leipzig. The lawyer received 31.6 percent of the vote - ahead of incumbent Burkhard Jung (SPD), who scored 29.8 percent.
Because none of the candidates achieved an absolute majority, there will be a second round in four weeks. There is no runoff election in Saxony, but all candidates can run again. Much will therefore depend on what the other of the eight applicants for the mayor post do now.
The result is a surprise. Leipzig City Hall has been in the hands of the SPD for three decades. A poll had seen SPD man Jung well before Gemkow before the election on Sunday. The 61-year-old has been head of the town hall in Leipzig since 2006 and is applying for a third term. The turnout was 49.1 percent.
The third best result was achieved by Franziska Riekewald from the left with 13.5 percent ahead of the Greens applicant Katharina Krefft with 12.0 percent. AfD candidate Christoph Neumann only achieved a one-digit result with 8.7 percent.
