In Bavaria's local elections on March 8, 2026, incumbent Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) received only 35.6 percent of the votes and must face a runoff on March 22. Greens candidate Dominik Krause followed with 29.5 percent, while Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU) got 21.3 percent. Reiter's poor showing is attributed to recent criticism over his FC Bayern role and an incident in the city council.
Bavaria's local elections have led to runoffs for mayor positions in several major cities. In Munich, incumbent Dieter Reiter (SPD) suffered clear losses compared to 2020, when he reached 47.9 percent in the first round. After counting nearly all polling districts, he got 35.6 percent, followed by Dominik Krause (Alliance 90/The Greens) with 29.5 percent and Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU) with 21.3 percent. The runoff between Reiter and Krause is set for March 22.
Reiter attributed his result to mistakes in recent weeks. "I made one or two mistakes in the last two weeks," he said in Munich that evening, calling it a "disappointing election night for me." He thanked his party and voters, stressing the need to "regain lost trust" by the runoff. Criticism focused on his role on the FC Bayern Munich administrative board, for which he has received 10,000 euros semi-annually since late 2021. Reiter admitted he was unaware that city council approval was required, as incomes over 10,000 euros annually normally need it. Additionally, he used the N-word in a council meeting and issued a written apology.
Elections in other cities were similarly undecided: In Nuremberg, Marcus König (CSU) with 46 percent faces Nasser Ahmed (SPD) with 26.5 percent. In Augsburg, Eva Weber (CSU) with 34 percent goes to runoff against Florian Freund (SPD) with 19.9 percent. In Regensburg, Astrid Freudenstein (CSU) with 37.5 percent competes against Helene Sigloch (Greens) with 18.9 percent. In Bamberg, Melanie Huml (CSU) missed the runoff with 28.2 percent; Jonas Glüsenkamp (Greens) with 30.3 percent and Sebastian Niedermaier (SPD) with 29 percent will face off.
High turnout was evident, such as in Augsburg with 30.3 percent by 4 p.m. (2020: 28.3 percent). Full results for councils and districts are due by Wednesday. Compared to 2020: CSU 34.5 percent, SPD 13.7 percent, Greens 17.5 percent, Free Voters 11.9 percent, AfD 4.7 percent. The AfD is expected to gain statewide but won no key races.
