After leaving the Greens, the now independent mayor of Tübingen, Palmer, wants to run for the Free Voters in the 2024 local elections. The reason he cites is the city’s finances, which he hopes to have a say in.
Tübingen’s mayor Boris Palmer (independent) wants to run for the Free Voters’ Association in the Tübingen District (FWV) in the local elections in June 2024. About his motivation, Palmer said: “It’s about the money.” 60 million euros in district levy are planned for the coming year. In the district council he could have a say in the amount of the district levy – and thus perhaps the amount that would flow back into his city for projects. So it makes sense for the mayor to sit on the district council, he said at a press conference on Monday morning in the Tübingen district office. In contrast, the Greens, of which Palmer was a long-time member, reject mayors also being district councilors. That is why Palmer has not yet been represented in the district council.
For many years, Boris Palmer was known as the Green mayor who had heated arguments with his party. Last year the Greens wanted to expel him from the party. According to the arbitration tribunal, it was not enough for that. Palmer and the party then agreed to initially suspend party membership. He stepped again as OB on and later from the party. Since then he has been a non-party mayor in Tübingen. According to Palmer, the Free Voters’ Association is a mayor’s faction.
Palmer: Local elections in June 2024 in sight
In the Baden-Württemberg local elections on June 9th next year, Boris Palmer now wants to run for the Free Voters and sit for them in the Tübingen district council. With 16 seats, the FWV is the second strongest faction in the Tübingen district council after the Greens with 18 members. Thomas Hölsch, mayor of Dußlingen and parliamentary group leader of the FWV, told SWR: “It’s good when the mayor of the largest city in the district joins the parliamentary group.” There are already numerous mayors among the Free Voters who are actively involved at the local level.
We asked the people of Tübingen what they thought of Palmer’s decision.
Who are the Free Voters?
There have been free voters in Germany since the 1950s. They run at the local level as a voters’ association, deliberately without a party register.
Since 2009 there has also been a “Free Voters” party. It was founded in Bavaria by the current Deputy Prime Minister of Bavaria, Hubert Aiwanger, who has been chairman of the Free Voters in Bavaria ever since. He also wanted to influence the party at the state level. Since then there has been a dispute about the name. There is also a regional association in Baden-Württemberg.
Free Voters Association: a “mayor faction”
Palmer feels comfortable with the Free Voters, he said, because they stand for modern conservatism. According to Palmer, they are committed to ecological changes. They remain conservative in other areas. It is also important for the Tübingen mayor to differentiate himself from other free voters – such as those in Bavaria. In Baden-Württemberg the association operates at the municipal level. There is no compulsory faction and no participation in state, federal or European elections.
Broadcast on Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 8:15 a.m., regional news studio Tübingen