The mayor of a city is not the head of all citizens, but he is the head of the city administration.

In addition, he represents the city when, for example, a queen or the Federal President comes to visit.

And he has great political influence.

In Frankfurt, 64-year-old Peter Feldmann is mayor.

He is a member of the SPD and was elected by citizens for the first time in 2012 and again in 2018.

He is actually elected until 2024.

This Sunday, however, the people of Frankfurt should vote on whether he should not already lose his office.

Manfred Koehler

Head of department of the Rhein-Main editorial team of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

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Such votes are very rare.

After all, the citizens can decide every six years who their mayor is.

But the following happened in Frankfurt: A few years ago, Peter Feldmann's wife became the director of a day-care center run by the workers' welfare organization and received a higher salary than other day-care center directors who had the same qualifications as her.

In addition, Feldmann's wife was provided with a company car.

The other leaders don't have that.

Prosecutors, who lead investigations into possible violations of the law, believe the woman was only treated so well because she is married to Peter Feldmann.

Because the workers' welfare had hoped that the mayor could help her vice versa elsewhere.

Like other organizations, Arbeiterwohlfahrt receives grants, i.e. money from the city, about which decisions have to be made again and again.

In addition, Arbeiterwohlfahrt collected donations for Peter Feldmann’s 2018 election campaign.

In this case, too, the public prosecutor says the organization had hoped for a concession.

What the public prosecutor's office accuses Feldmann of is called accepting an advantage.

You can also say corruption.

The court case against Peter Feldmann began a few days ago.

But there is no verdict yet.

When the public prosecutor's office began investigating Peter Feldmann, the first politicians in Frankfurt said he could not remain mayor.

When it became clear that there would be a court case, even more made the request.

The argument is that not someone who might be punished can represent the city.

Mayor must be someone with an impeccable reputation.

In addition, Peter Feldmann has made himself unpopular on other occasions.

After the Eintracht Frankfurt footballers won the European Cup in May, he snatched the trophy from the team's coach and captain at the victory celebrations in the town hall.

And before that he had insulted the flight attendants on the flight to the football game in Spain.

Sunday voting is complicated.

First, of course, of those who go to vote, more must vote to vote out than against.

Otherwise Peter Feldmann remains in office.

But secondly, at least 30 percent of those who are fundamentally allowed to vote, whether they do so or not, must vote against Feldmann for him to lose his office.

Who knows if so many will even vote.

Maybe one more vote

This hurdle is so high that someone is only voted out if a large number of citizens no longer want to see them in office.

Otherwise, a mayor would possibly be voted out by very few people who have only been annoyed with him once, and there would be new mayors all the time.

If Feldmann loses his office on Sunday, the people of Frankfurt will be able to vote again in the spring, namely a successor.

If Feldmann is not voted out, he will remain in office until 2024.

Unless he resigns beforehand, for example because the court has convicted him of corruption.

No one knows how Sunday's vote will end.

But many Frankfurters are very excited.