Chiemsee holds repeat mayoral election after sole candidate fails to win majority

Bavaria's smallest municipality, Chiemsee, is once again heading to the polls on Sunday to elect a mayor. This repeat election comes after the previous attempt in March failed when the sole candidate, incumbent mayor Armin Krämmer, did not secure the necessary majority.

This time, ceramic master Georg Klampfleuthner is the only name on the ballot. He belongs to the Freie Wählergruppe Chiemsee, the same political group that nominated Krämmer. With only one candidate and no other lists in the small island community, Klampfleuthner is the sole option for voters.

In the March election, Krämmer received 47.7% of the votes. However, according to the administrative community of Breitbrunn am Chiemsee, more than half of the voters wrote other names on their ballots. This is permissible under Bavarian election law when there is only one candidate. Krämmer had since withdrawn his candidacy, necessitating the new election.

The situation in March led to a complex electoral process. Normally, a runoff election would have followed between the top two vote-getters. In this case, it would have been Krämmer and a long-serving local council member who, despite not running, had garnered 21.5% of the votes. However, this council member declined to participate in the runoff, forcing the entire election to be restarted, a process that has taken months.

The surprise outcome in March, where the incumbent mayor failed to win a majority despite no opposition and a high voter turnout of nearly 80%, has caused some bewilderment. There were no reported scandals or criticisms against Krämmer that could explain the result. Chiemsee, comprising the Fraueninsel with its Benedictine convent, Herreninsel with King Ludwig II's palace, and the uninhabited Krautinsel, has a population of around 170 residents, with approximately 140 eligible to vote.