Munich Mayoral Runoffs: A Look Back at History
For a long time, Munich’s mayors were elected in the first round. However, the process has become more protracted in recent years. This article provides a historical overview of Munich’s mayoral runoffs.
The Era of First-Round Victories
Until recently, a runoff election for the mayor of Munich was a rare occurrence. For decades, only once had a mayoral election failed to produce an absolute majority in the first round. This changed with the 2014 election, marking a significant shift in the city’s political landscape.
The Kronawitter-Kiesl Rivalry: A Precedent for Runoffs
The first notable mayoral runoff took place in 1984. Georg “Schorsch” Kronawitter, an SPD politician who had previously served as mayor from 1972 to 1978, returned to challenge the incumbent CSU mayor, Erich Kiesl. Kiesl had won the 1978 election in the first round with 51.4 percent of the votes after Kronawitter stepped down due to internal SPD conflicts.
Kiesl’s tenure was marred by the “Bauland-Affäre” (building land affair) in 1981, where valuable city land was sold significantly below its market value to a developer friendly with Kiesl. Despite government findings of an undervaluation, the deal was eventually approved in 1991.
In 1984, Kronawitter successfully challenged Kiesl in a runoff, reclaiming the mayoral office and continuing the long-standing SPD mayoral dynasty in Munich.
Ude’s Dominance and Reiter’s New Reality
Kronawitter’s successor, Christian Ude, also consistently won his mayoral elections in the first round, achieving a remarkable 66.7 percent of the votes in his final election in 2008.
However, the 2014 election marked a turning point. Dieter Reiter, Ude’s chosen successor, faced CSU candidate Seppi Schmid. Reiter, despite being positioned as Ude’s heir, secured 40.4 percent in the first round, narrowly leading Schmid. With the support of the Green party, Reiter won the runoff with 57 percent of the votes.
The 2020 Election: An Unexpected Challenger
In 2020, many expected Reiter to face Green candidate Katrin Habenschaden in a runoff. However, Kristina Frank of the CSU surprisingly emerged as Reiter’s challenger, securing 21.3 percent of the votes, just ahead of Habenschaden’s 20.8 percent. Reiter himself garnered 47.9 percent in the first round.
In the subsequent runoff, Reiter achieved one of his most significant victories, securing 71.7 percent of the votes against Frank’s 28.3 percent.
The 2026 Runoff: A New Era of Uncertainty
The upcoming 2026 election is also headed for a runoff, this time with new dynamics. Reiter will face Dominik Krause and Clemens Baumgärtner. Unlike previous elections, observers are hesitant to make predictions, suggesting that a decisive victory for Reiter, similar to 2020, would be a major surprise.
