Mayoral election in Hesse: Didlapp triumphs, runoff election in Meinhard!

Mayoral election in Hesse: Didlapp triumphs, runoff election in Meinhard!

It was an exciting Sunday in Hesse when citizens in the municipalities of Solms and Meinhard cast their votes in the mayoral elections. August 24, 2025 will go down in the annals because the independent Katharina Didlapp won the election in Solms.

With 51.29% of the votes, Didlapp beat her competitor Gerhard Lambeck from the Free Voters, who got 48.71% of the votes. Didlapp is the successor to Frank Inderthal (SPD), who is now serving as first district councilor and deputy district administrator. The vote in Solms recorded a turnout of 55.36%, which shows that the people of Solms actively used their voting rights. Didlapp doesn't just bring political experience with him; She also heads the controlling and finance department at the Federal Employment Agency in Giessen and is also active on the board of FC Burgsolms.

Runoff election in Meinhard

In the Meinhard community the result was less clear. No candidate was able to achieve an absolute majority here. Olaf Templin from the ÜWG received 47.06% of the votes, closely followed by Michael Pack from the SPD with 29.58%. Michael Bau (independent) and Guido Hasecke (CDU) achieved 12.78% and 10.58% respectively. Due to the resignation of the previous mayor Gerhold Brill for health reasons in February, a runoff election between Templin and Pack is now necessary, as the voter turnout of 71.02% was significantly higher than in Solms.

The upcoming local elections in Hesse will not only take place in Solms and Meinhard. According to information from hessen.de, the next general local elections are scheduled for March 15, 2026, where municipal, local council and district elections will take place at the local level. A total of 421 Hessian cities and municipalities as well as 21 districts will be up for election.

A look into the future

The changes to the legal basis for local elections, introduced by the law to improve the functioning of local representative bodies, bring with them some innovations. This includes, among other things, the calculation of seat allocation according to the d'Hondt maximum number method and the opportunity for homeless people to take part in the elections. The removal of private addresses from public announcements is also a notable innovation.

The results of the current elections could also have a lasting impact on the political landscape of Hessian communities. With their vote, the citizens have set the course for the coming years. A new era begins for Katharina Didlapp in Solms, while Meinhard prepares for an exciting runoff election. The next few months will show how the political forces in the two communities develop.

For further information about the local elections and their implementation, visit hessen.de and tagesschau.de.