Heidelberg - Politics

Politics

Election 2004 2009
Party Votes Seats Votes Seats
CDU 25.9 % 11 20.1% 9
SPD 21.6% 9 16.8% 7
Greens - - 15.1% 6
Green Alternative List 21.4% 9 10.2% 4
FDP 6.8% 3 9.1% 4
Heidelberger 10.6% 4 8.6% 3
generation.hd 3.2% 1 5.8% 2
FWV 4.5% 2 5.8% 2
Bunte Linke 3.1% 1 5.4% 2
HD P. u. E. - - 3.1% 1
Others 2.8% 0 0% 0
Turnout 50.5% 48.8%

Since 2006, the Oberbürgermeister (lord mayor) of Heidelberg has been the independent Eckart Würzner. From 1990 to 2006, the mayor was Beate Weber (SPD).

The council consists of 40 volunteer members with the mayor as chairman. The council is directly elected for a term of five years. The task of the council is to decide with the mayor presiding all the affairs of the city. The council controls the city administration and oversees the enforcement of its decisions.

Heidelberg has always been a stronghold of the Greens. For the municipal elections in 2009, they split into the Green Alternative List and Alliance 90/The Greens and each ran their own lists. Together they gained 10 seats to become the strongest force for the first time.

After the election, the deputies of the Alliance 90/The Greens formed a coalition with generation.HD. In September 2011 two members of the GAL Group joined the Alliance 90/The Greens, so now with generation.HD, they form the largest group in the council.

Read more about this topic:  Heidelberg

Famous quotes containing the word politics:

    If American politics are too dirty for women to take part in, there’s something wrong with American politics.
    Edna Ferber (1887–1968)

    I believe you to be a brave and a skillful soldier, which, of course, I like. I also believe you do not mix politics with your profession, in which you are right.
    Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)

    Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.
    Mao Zedong (1893–1976)