Editing Mannheim (section)

== Government and politics ==
===Mayor===

[[File:Christian Specht 2.jpg|thumb|Christian Specht in 2011]]

The mayor is the head of the city council and chairman of the council, being selected by direct suffrage for a term of eight years. The current mayor is {{interlanguage link|Christian Specht|de|Christian Specht (Politiker)}} from the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU). 

In 2023, Specht ran in the election for mayor of Mannheim, in which incumbent [[Peter Kurz]] ([[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]) did not run again, and was supported by the CDU Mannheim, the {{interlanguage link|Mannheimer Liste|de}} and the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]] Mannheim.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-07-12|author=Timo Schmidhuber|date=2023-01-23|title=CDU-Politiker Christian Specht tritt bei OB-Wahl in Mannheim an|url=https://www.mannheimer-morgen.de/orte/mannheim_artikel,-mannheim-cdu-politiker-christian-specht-tritt-bei-ob-wahl-in-mannheim-an-_arid,2041987.html|website=[[Mannheimer Morgen|mannheimer-morgen.de]]}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-01-20|author=Timo Schmidhuber|date=2023-01-20|publisher=[[Mannheimer Morgen]]|title=OB-Kandidat Specht: "Mannheim ist für mich eine Herzensangelegenheit"|url=https://www.mannheimer-morgen.de/orte/mannheim_artikel,-mannheim-ob-kandidat-specht-mannheim-ist-fuer-mich-eine-herzensangelegenheit-_arid,2041993.html}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> In the first round of voting on June 18, 2023, he received 45.64% of the vote. On July 9, 2023, he won the second round of voting with 49.9% of the vote, ahead of SPD candidate Thorsten Riehle (48.7%) and independent candidate Uğur Çakir (1.3%).<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-07-12|date=2023-07-09|title=Christian Specht neuer Oberbürgermeister|url=https://www.mannheim.de/de/nachrichten/christian-specht-neuer-oberbuergermeister|website=mannheim.de}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> 
Due to an objection to the election results, Specht was initially elected as appointed mayor by the city council.<ref name="Amtsantritt 2023">{{cite web|access-date=2023-08-04|date=2023-08-03|language=de|title=Christian Specht zum bestellten Oberbürgermeister gewählt {{!}} Mannheim.de|url=https://www.mannheim.de/de/nachrichten/christian-specht-zum-bestellten-oberbuergermeister-gewaehlt}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> The objection was rejected by the {{interlanguage link|Karlsruhe Regional Council|de|Regierungspräsidium Karlsruhe}} on August 2, 2023, making Specht's election valid.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-08-13|date=2023-08-03|language=de|title=Einsprüche zurückgewiesen: Was das für Christian Specht bedeutet|url=https://www.mannheimer-morgen.de/orte/mannheim_artikel,-mannheim-einsprueche-zurueckgewiesen-was-das-fuer-christian-specht-bedeutet-_arid,2111918.html}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> He took office on August 4, 2023,<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-07-10|author=Holger Neumann|date=2023-07-10|publisher=swr.de|title=Amtsantritt am 4. August: Mannheims neuer OB Specht setzt auf "Koalition der Willigen"|url=https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/mannheim/interview-ob-wahl-mannheim-sieger-christian-specht-100.html|website=[[SWR4]] BW Regional}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> making him the first CDU mayor in Mannheim since [[:de:Josef Braun|Josef Braun]] (1945–1948).<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-07-12|author=Peter Kiefer|date=2023-06-22|title=OB-Wahl in Mannheim – dieses Ergebnis gab es in der Quadratestadt noch nie zuvor|url=https://www.mannheim24.de/mannheim/rathaus-endergebnis-ob-wahl-mannheim-ergebnis-premiere-cdu-kandidat-christian-specht-mitte-92352372.html|website=mannheim24.de}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

{{election table}}
! rowspan=2 colspan=2| Candidate
! rowspan=2| Party
! colspan=2| First round
! colspan=2| Second round
|-
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| '''Christian Specht'''
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]
| 34,329
| 45.6
| '''35,981'''
| '''49.9'''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| Thorsten Riehle
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]
| 22,748
| 30.2
| 35,122
| 48.7
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| Raymond Fojkar
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]]
| 10,379
| 13.8
| align=center colspan=2| ''Withdrew''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}| 
| align=left| Thomas Bischoff
| align=left| [[Die PARTEI]]
| 2,327
| 3.3
| align=center colspan=2| ''Withdrew''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| David Frey
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 1,081
| 1.4
| align=center colspan=2| ''Withdrew''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Tanja Krone
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 903
| 1.2
| align=center colspan=2| ''Withdrew''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Uğur Çakir
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 638
| 0.85
| 947
| 1.3
|-
| colspan=3 align=left| ''Others''
| 41
| 0.1
| 70
| 0.1
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 75,222
! 99.4
! 72,120
! 99.4
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 467
! 0.6
! 415
! 0.6
|-
! colspan=3| Total
! 75,689
! 100.0
! 72,535
! 100.0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 234,942
! 32.2
! 234,861
! 30.9
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://wahlergebnisse.komm.one/lb/produktion/wahltermin-20230618/08222000/praesentation/index.html City of Mannheim]
|}

The city leaders since 1810 are:
{{div col|colwidth=21em}}
* 1810–1820: Johann Wilhelm Reinhardt
* 1820–1832: Valentin Möhl
* 1833–1835: Heinrich Andriano
* 1836–1849: Ludwig Jolly
* 1849–1852: Friedrich Reiß
* 1852–1861: Heinrich Christian Diffené
* 1861–1870: Ludwig Achenbach
* 1870–1891: Eduard Moll
* 1891–1908: Otto Beck
* 1908–1913: Paul Martin
* 1914–1928: Theodor Kutzer
* 1928–1933: Hermann Heimerich (SPD)
* 1933–1945: Carl Renninger ([[NSDAP]])
* 1945–1948: Josef Braun (CDU)
* 1948–1949: Fritz Cahn-Garnier (SPD)
* 1949–1955: Hermann Heimerich (SPD)
* 1956–1972: Hans Reschke (independent)
* 1972–1980: Ludwig Ratzel (SPD)
* 1980–1983: Wilhelm Varnholt (SPD)
* 1983–2007: Gerhard Widder (SPD)
* 2007–2023: Peter Kurz (SPD)
* 2023–present: Christian Specht (CDU)
{{div col end}}

===City council===
[[File:Technisches Rathaus in Mannheim.jpg|thumb|Town hall in E&nbsp;5]]
The council has 48 seats and is elected by direct suffrage for five years. In the local elections in Baden-Württemberg, voters are allowed to take advantage of [[cumulative voting]] and [[Panachage|vote splitting]]. Since the Second World War the SPD, except in the elections of 1999, 2004, and 2024, has received more votes than the CDU. In the 2019 election, the Greens received the most votes for the first time.

The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Party
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU)
| 1,110,883
| 21.6
| {{increase}} 2.5
| 10
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] (Grüne)
| 1,035,384
| 20.1
| {{decrease}} 4.3
| 9
| {{decrease}} 3
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD)
| 952,919
| 18.5
| {{decrease}} 2.7
| 9
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD)
| 731,679
| 14.2
| {{increase}} 5.0
| 7
| {{increase}} 3
|-
| 
| align=left| Free Voters/Mannheimer List (ML)
| 346,759
| 6.7
| {{decrease}} 0.7
| 3
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP)
| 276,672
| 5.4
| {{decrease}} 0.7
| 3
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] (Die Linke)
| 254,373
| 4.9
| {{decrease}} 1.1
| 2
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Human Environment Animal Protection Party}}| 
| align=left| [[Human Environment Animal Protection Party|Animal Protection Party]] (Tierschutz)
| 112,496
| 2.2
| {{increase}} 1.1
| 1
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}| 
| align=left| [[Die PARTEI]] (PARTEI)
| 108,638
| 2.1
| {{decrease}} 0.9
| 1
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| 
| align=left| Middle-Class for Mannheim (MfM)
| 76,555
| 1.5
| {{increase}} 0.2
| 1
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| 
| align=left| The Mannheimers
| 64,393
| 1.3
| New
| 1
| New
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Klimaliste}}| 
| align=left| [[Klimaliste|Climate List Baden-Württemberg]] (Klima)
| 59,228
| 1.2
| New
| 1
| New
|-
| 
| align=left| Protect the Cars
| 12,632
| 0.2
| New
| 0
| New
|-
! colspan=2| Valid votes
! 5,142,611
! 100.0
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Invalid ballots
! 2,479
! 2.1
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Total ballots
! 120,729
! 100.0
! 
! 48
! ±0
|-
! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout
! 238,394
! 51.5
! {{increase}} 1.7
! 
! 
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://wahlergebnisse.komm.one/lb/produktion/wahltermin-20240609/08222000/praesentation/ergebnis.html?wahl_id=1677&stimmentyp=0&id=ebene_-10065_id_16232 City of Mannheim]
|}