Due to a curiosity in the electoral law, the small town of Röttingen, south of Würzburg, has a new mayor whose name was not on the pre-printed ballot papers. Because many citizens of the municipality not far from the state border with Baden-Württemberg were annoyed that there was only one candidate, they simply added another name to the ballot last Sunday – that of Steffen Romstöck. And lo and behold: According to the election results, the 44-year-old won an absolute majority with 51.9 percent of the 773 valid votes.
According to the city, his opponent Jürgen Boier received 41.5 percent and had to admit defeat. He ran for all three city council factions – Free Citizens, Independent Citizens and CSU.
Romstöck elected for eight years
According to media reports, Romstöck was mentioned as a candidate in messenger groups before the election. Ultimately, 401 voters wrote his name on their ballot paper. Romstöck accepted the election – he was to be sworn in on Tuesday evening. Voter turnout was 61.4 percent.
“You don’t turn something down like that,” he told the German Press Agency after the election. “But there was a smile and a tear in his eye.” On the one hand, he was happy about the vote of confidence from the citizens, but he was sad to have to leave his colleagues at the University of Würzburg after more than 20 years.
Romstöck previously worked as a civil servant at the university in the administration. In Röttingen, which has just under 1,700 inhabitants, he was the honorary third mayor from 2014 to 2020. He has now been elected for eight years because his predecessor resigned earlier for personal reasons and the city council agreed to an extension of his term of office, he reported.
State Returning Officer: Law allows such voting in certain cases
According to the state election officer, only candidates who have previously been approved by the electoral bodies can stand for election in European, federal and state elections. “Adding a person to the ballot paper would in principle invalidate it,” said the State Office for Statistics in Fürth. “In elections under the Municipal and District Election Act, however, this is permissible in certain cases.”
Section 40 of the Municipal Elections Act states: “If no nomination or only one nomination is permitted, the election shall be held without being bound to a proposed candidate.” The term of office of a first mayor is normally six years.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240917-930-235335/1
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