According to a newspaper report, Tübingen Mayor Boris Palmer does not want to stand in his party's primary election, which is intended to determine a top candidate for the new elections in autumn. He could not take part in the nomination process because of the "now beginning party exclusion process," quoted the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" on Tuesday from a letter from 49-year-old Palmer to the Greens city association. It is "logically and factually impossible to run a procedure for nomination and exclusion at the same time". A candidate cannot be both - "nominated and excluded". Palmer initially declined to comment on the report when asked.
The Baden-Württemberg Greens had decided in May last year to have Palmer expelled from the party. He had previously made racist comments about former national soccer player Dennis Aogo in a Facebook post from the Greens' point of view. According to Palmer, the statements were meant to be satirical. Investigations into this were discontinued in September. Palmer had previously crossed paths with his party with statements on refugee policy and corona measures.
Because of the threat of Palmer's party expulsion, who has governed in Tübingen since 2010, the Greens city association decided to hold a primary election for the next mayoral candidate.
The mayor of the Weilheim district of Tübingen, Ulrike Baumgärtner, has already applied for it.
The incumbent has so far left it open whether Palmer wants to run again as an independent candidate in Tübingen.