Halle (Saale) is set for a mayoral runoff after no candidate secured a majority in the first round of voting.

Egbert Geier (SPD), who has been acting as the city’s representative since 2021, led with 37.1% of the votes but fell short of the required majority.

Independent candidate Alexander Vogt, with 19.1%, narrowly beat CDU’s Kerstin Godenrath for the second spot in the runoff.

The election follows years of uncertainty after former mayor Bernd Wiegand was suspended over a COVID-19 vaccine scandal.

The runoff, scheduled for February 23, coincides with Germany’s federal elections, with 186,000 residents eligible to vote.