There was a good deal of irony in the exclamation with which the Frankfurt FDP party leader, Thorsten Lieb, addressed the audience at the Epiphany meeting at the beginning of the year: "Election campaigning again at last!" Of course, elections are at the heart of political life in a democracy.

Many were hoping for the current mayoral election in the Main metropolis because it is a result of the successful voting out of Peter Feldmann (SPD).

But that also means that it is coming a year earlier than expected.

And elections cost money.

How much is a tricky question.

Because it may give the competition an indication of the strategy - and the assessment of the chances of success.

Bernhard Biener

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung

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In this respect, Manuela Rottmann (The Greens), Uwe Becker (CDU) and Mike Josef (SPD) are right at the front and close together.

This also applies to the campaign budgets officially announced by the parties.

The Greens are calculating 280,000 euros for their "most expensive election campaign to date," says Treasurer Sebastian Deckwarth.

About half of the sum comes from the party's own treasury as well as from state and federal parties.

They try to raise 140,000 euros through fundraising.

SPD relies on membership fees

The donations are already higher than in the “super election year 2021” with local and federal elections overall, says the treasurer.

"That's an indicator of Manuela Rottmann's popularity." After the Greens became the strongest faction in Römer two years ago, the chances of a Green mayor have never been better than they are now.

Deckwarth speaks of a "penalty situation".

While the Greens are spending significantly more than they did for the 2021 local elections, it is the opposite for the SPD, according to deputy party leader Kolja Müller.

250,000 euros are calculated for the mayoral election, two years ago it was 350,000 euros.

In the "members' party" the money comes mainly from their contributions and the taxes of the elected representatives - exclusively the Frankfurt SPD, without money from the state and federal party.

"Donations come in addition," says Müller.

So Mike Josef could end up with even more money at his disposal.

Favorable voting campaign

The CDU relies exclusively on donations, apart from the personal support of Uwe Becker by the party apparatus.

Managing director Thorsten Weber names 220,000 euros as the campaign budget.

At 40 percent, the 100 mobile billboards and 3000 posters on the lampposts accounted for a large part of the expenditure.

On the other hand, the joint action of the parties when Feldmann was voted out went easy on the coffers.

20,000 euros were used for this, says Weber.

The Green Treasurer calls a similar amount.

The FDP refers to the expenses for their candidate Yanki Pürsün to the next statement of accounts from the treasurer, because the members should know the number first.

Then the proportion of donations will also be determined.

They increased the budget, according to office manager Toni Nauck, but the election campaign is primarily financed from membership fees.

The liberals put up 6,000 posters.

Left under time pressure

Like the FDP, the Left Party calculates a third of the expenditure for the local election campaign for the mayoral election.

With 20,000 euros to advertise candidate Daniela Mehler-Würzbach, says Treasurer Steffen Merte.

You have to put up 3,000 posters to be present across the board.

Larger events, for example with the federal chairwoman Janine Wissler, also cost money.

However, the greater challenge of the mayoral election is the schedule, says Merte.

"We had to pull an election campaign out of a hat in six weeks and over the Christmas holidays."