Mayoral election in Bad Doberan: Jochen Arenz is fighting for approval!

Mayoral election in Bad Doberan: Jochen Arenz is fighting for approval!

Next Sunday, September 28, 2025, the voters in Bad Doberan face a special challenge: the mayoral election will take place with only one candidate. Jochen Arenz, the independent incumbent, is running for his second term and would like to build on his successful term.

Jochen Arenz, born in 1965 and originally from Düsseldorf, has lived in Bad Doberan since 2001. He has been mayor since March 21, 2019 and previously managed the Johanneshaus and a nursing home in Kühlungsborn. With an experience of over 100 employees and 136 residents, he has made a name for himself in the region. In his first election in 2018, he won an impressive 55.7 percent of the vote in the first round, without a runoff against two competitors, which underlines his popularity.

Electoral procedures and voter conditions

In this upcoming election, however, there are no classic campaign methods such as election forums, as Arenz is the only candidate in the race. Voters have the opportunity to mark “yes” or “no” on the ballot paper; abstention is not permitted. In order for Arenz to continue his term in office, he needs at least 15 percent of the votes of eligible voters, which corresponds to 1,617 “yes” votes in Bad Doberan. It is important that voter turnout is high because more “no” votes than “yes” votes would vote him out. According to that NDR This electoral process has its own rules, which are set out in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania electoral law.

A total of over 10,700 citizens from Bad Doberan and the surrounding districts of Althof, Heiligendamm and Vorder Bollhagen are eligible to vote. Important to know: All Germans and EU citizens who are at least 16 years old and meet certain residency requirements are eligible to vote - that's part of it Law for local elections.

A look at the election results and future projects

If Arenz is not re-elected, he will remain in office until March 2026, while city officials must elect a new mayor. A possible look back at his professional life as a social worker could be helpful. There are also a number of construction projects coming up in the city, including 106 new apartments in the old mud bath, 46 of which are intended for social housing, which could represent a significant development for Bad Doberan.

The election notifications have already been sent to all citizens eligible to vote, and it has been possible to cast your vote at the town hall since September 8th. On election Sunday, polling offices open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. To ensure that everything works smoothly, postal voting options are also included in the election notification.

The outcome of this election could have a decisive impact on the community of Bad Doberan, and citizens are called upon to cast their vote in order to actively shape the future of their city. Further information about the election can be found on the city's official website stadt-dbr.de to find.