A New Mayor in Leverkusen
Leverkusen has a new Mayor,
by Paul-Leander Schmidt, year 9 : Käthe-Kollwitz School
On Sunday, 13th September 2015, was the mayoral election. The polling places opened at 8am and closed at 6pm. The following candidates could be voted for: the actual mayor, Reinhard Buchhorn, Christian Democratic Party, Uwe Richrath, Social Democratic Party, Erhard Schoofs, Bürgerliste, and Markus Beisicht, Pro-NRW (right wing party).
Only 36,5 % of the electorate took part. The election result was:
The new mayor of Leverkusen is Uwe Richrath (SPD) with a majority of 51,2 per cent of the votes. The other candidates had the following results: Reinhard Buchhorn (CDU) 29,8 percent, Erhard Schoofs (Bürgerliste) 12.6 percent and Markus Beisicht (pro NRW) 6.5 percent.
In a special interview with me, Uwe Richrath said that he was really happy because he thought that there would be a run-off ballot. After the result at 7.45pm, he went with his party friends to a restaurant and had a party there. When asked, „What did you dream the night before the mayoral election?“, he answered that he was so firmly in sleep that he didn´t think about that.
More about Uwe Richrath: Uwe Richrath was born on 1st January 1961 in Leverkusen. He went to Käthe-Kollwitz school in Leverkusen, (where I go to school). Since 1986 he has been a retail trade businessman with three textile shops. He has one son, Paul. Since 2000 he has been in the SPD.
 The new mayor Uwe Richrath (SPD) |
 Fair gesture: The former Mayor congratulates his successor. |