This result de facto ends the long-standing dominance of the Social Democrats in the City Hall. Dominik Krause, having assumed leadership of the metropolis, now faces a complex task: forming a stable coalition government amidst abruptly shifted negotiating positions. In parallel, the future city leader must resolve a more mundane matter—the purchase of a new bicycle.
At the recent Green Party congress at the Holiday Inn, the heads of the Munich branch, Svenja Jarchow and Florian Siekmann, presented Krause with a bicycle bag. This gesture was not only symbolic but also practical: the current Mayor has been without personal transport since last winter after his bicycle was stolen from right in front of his home.
“I haven’t had time to buy a new one yet,” Krause admitted to the delegates, explaining that the recent months had been entirely dedicated to election preparations.
Dominik Krause at the Green Party Congress in Munich: “It was the campaign of our lives”
The success of the Green candidate was the result of many months of intensive work, which Krause himself characterised as the campaign of his life. What was initially perceived within the campaign headquarters as an inspiring slogan ultimately transformed into voting results: the Greens not only maintained their status as the strongest faction in the city council but also gained their first representative in Munich’s highest administrative office.
Fraction chairpersons Mona Fuchs and Sebastian Weisenburger highlighted several key factors behind this triumph. A crucial role was played by the support of rank-and-file party members—nearly 6,000 active volunteers participated in the canvassing. Furthermore, the Greens managed to work effectively in a niche atypical for them: housing construction. The party’s progressive programme proved more convincing than the course of the incumbent Lord Mayor, Dieter Reiter, whose slogan “Munich. Reiter. Fits.” (München. Reiter. Passt.) many voters considered insufficiently realistic or persuasive for the city’s current problems.
The Role of Dieter Reiter in the Greens’ Election Victory
In analysing the reasons for the power shift, the Green leadership displayed a pragmatic approach. It was noted that significant factors in Krause’s success were the mistakes made by Dieter Reiter himself, particularly regarding his communication with voters before the first round of voting. According to Mona Fuchs, a certain degree of political luck lay precisely in the opponent’s miscalculations, which allowed Krause to attract not only the youth but also representatives of Munich’s older generation.
However, the triumphant mood at the congress was dampened by the need for an urgent revision of the coalition strategy. Krause officially confirmed that the Volt party had unilaterally terminated consultations regarding joining the future city council.
Collapse of Preliminary Consultations at Munich City Hall: Volt Withdraws from Negotiations
The breakdown in relations with the pan-European Volt party came as a surprise to many observers. According to available data, the stumbling block was Volt’s excessive demands regarding personnel matters, which the Greens and the SPD were unprepared to meet. By exiting the negotiations, Volt missed a unique opportunity to enter the city council of a major German municipality for the first time. This decision has already sparked sharp criticism within Volt itself, including from colleagues in other German cities. (Editor’s note: What else can be expected when inexperienced students and people without professional experience become city council deputies?)
Dominik Krause explained that there were practically no substantive contradictions regarding policy points. The Greens and the SPD, according to him, were constantly meeting their partners halfway, sometimes reaching “red lines” in terms of concessions; however, in the final stages, Volt representatives put forward new demands, making further dialogue in the previous format impossible.
Preliminary Negotiations at Munich City Hall: Greens Begin Dialogue with CSU, FDP, and Free Voters
The current situation has forced the election winners to radically change the vector of their search for allies. Since Monday, 20 April, Dominik Krause and his team have begun an official dialogue with the Christian Social Union (CSU), as well as with representatives of the FDP and Free Voters association. The first contacts, according to the future Lord Mayor, took place in a constructive and trusting atmosphere.
The main priority of the new coalition, regardless of its final composition, will be the prompt resolution of Munich’s budgetary problems. The agenda includes the issue of financial consolidation and the implementation of strict austerity measures. For Dominik Krause, this means transitioning from the mode of election promises to difficult administrative work. It is obvious that forming a functional government will be his primary test of political maturity, while the purchase of a new bicycle remains an important but secondary task in the dense schedule of the new head of the city.
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