Election victory for Stickeln: CDU remains at the top in the Höxter district!

Election victory for Stickeln: CDU remains at the top in the Höxter district!

On Sunday, September 16, 2025, those eligible to vote in the Höxter district diligently cast their votes. The local elections were dominated by the district elections, in which incumbent Michael Stickeln from the CDU celebrated his re-election with an impressive 64 percent of the vote. The other candidates from the SPD, AfD and the Greens had to be content with less than 20 percent. This means that Stickeln remains the head of the district, and for the voters the continuity of the CDU seems to be exactly the right recipe.

In the small town of Nieheim, there was an exciting mayoral election in which Johannes Schlütz, a non-party candidate, won against Mathias Koch, also non-party and supported by the CDU and SPD. Schlütz's victory is a signal to voters that they can vote successfully even without belonging to a major party. The situation was similar in Marienmünster, where Kai Schöttler from the CDU won the mayoral election with around 70.1 percent of the vote. This made Marienmünster the first municipality in Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) to have its votes completely counted.

Runoff elections and changes in the city council

However, the race for the mayoralty in Willebadessen remains exciting. The incumbent mayor Norbert Hofnagel did not achieve the necessary majority with 40.8 percent and now has to go into the runoff against Hans-Jörg Härtlein from the UWG. Hofnagel attributes his performance to his initiatives in the area of ​​wind power, which shows that sustainable projects are still very popular.

In total, new mayors were elected in ten cities in the district. If no candidate achieves the required majority of 50 percent, there will be a runoff election, which will take place on September 28th. The city councils and the district council also elected fresh staff - in Bad Driburg, for example, the AfD became the second strongest faction in the council with 18.9 percent of the vote, while the CDU clearly dominated with 40.8 percent. It looks similar in Brakel; There, too, the AfD is the second strongest force behind the CDU.

The organizers and framework conditions of the election

This was a major challenge for those responsible for the election. The returning officer, district director Manuela Kupsch, and her deputy Sigrid Wichmann ensured that everything ran smoothly. Offers of assistance were provided to make it easier for all citizens to participate. An explanatory film, audio books and brochures in easy language supported voters who had special multilingual needs. Acoustic ballots were available for blind and visually impaired citizens, which promotes involvement in local politics. This shows how important inclusive offers are in reaching the electorate.

The election events are not only important in Höxter. Local elections in Germany are an essential part of political decision-making across the entire Federal Republic. According to the Basic Law, elections must be general, direct, free, equal and secret. This means that everyone who lives in Germany and has citizenship can also vote. With this election, citizens have once again been called upon to actively participate in the political shaping of their community.

The next local elections in the Höxter district are scheduled for September 14, 2025. And depending on how voters decide in the runoff elections on September 28th, one or two political faces could change. Until then it will remain exciting!

Interested readers can find further information about the local elections at WDR, Kreis Höxter and Federal Agency for Political Education.