District election in the Saale-Orla district: first results coming soon

The first election in Thuringia will take place in 2024: it is for the district office in the rural Saale-Orla district. The AfD has good chances.

• District election in the Saale-Orla district: Whoever is running?
• AfD candidate: Uwe Thrum is campaigning to abolish the Russia sanctions
• This news ticker is constantly updated

Update from January 14th, 6:12 p.m.: The counting of votes for the district election in the Saale-Orla district in Thuringia has begun. The first results are expected from 6.30 p.m.

Saale-Orla district elects new district administrator: AfD could get Thrum's next position

First report from January 14th: Schleiz – In the Saale-Orla district in eastern Thuringia, around 65,000 eligible voters will be called upon to elect a new district administrator on Sunday (January 14th). After twelve years, incumbent Thomas Fügmann (CDU) is no longer running for reasons of age.

Polling stations close at 6 p.m. Anyone who receives more than half of all votes cast becomes a district administrator. If none of the four candidates get the necessary majority, there will be a runoff election two weeks later.

SPD, CDU, Left and AfD: Who will run in the district elections in the Saale-Orla district

For the CDU, AfD and the left The state parliament members Christian Herrgott, Uwe Thrum and Ralf Kalich are each candidates. The independent Regina Butz is running for the SPD.

It is not unlikely that the AfD candidate will claim the election. In the last federal election, the AfD received the most votes of all parties in the district. And in current surveys, the AfD clearly dominates in the Free State of Thuringia.

Election in the Saale-Orla district: Uwe Thrum would not be the first AfD man at the highest level of the district administration

Thrum would be the second AfD man at the highest level of district administration in Thuringia. Like Robert Sesselmann in the Sonneberg district, Thrum is campaigning on federal issues such as the abolition of climate protection measures, sanctions on Russia and asylum policy. Burning issues in rural Thuringia, for example in the Saale-Orla districtare mainly a lack of health care and low wages.

According to information from the MDR, the interim results will be presented in the foyer of the district office in Schleiz. Unlike federal and state elections, there will be no forecasts and projections.

The election is seen as a mood test for the election year in Thuringia – at least for rural areas. The state elections in Thuringia are scheduled for September 1st. (lrg/dpa)