Historic Shift in Munich: Dominik Krause Elected as City's First Green Mayor

Dominik Krause of the Greens won the Munich mayoral runoff election on March 22, 2026, defeating incumbent Dieter Reiter of the SPD with 56.4 percent of the vote to Reiter's 43.6 percent, ending 42 years of uninterrupted Social Democratic rule in the Bavarian capital. Krause, who serves as Munich's Second Mayor, will become the first Green politician to lead the city. Reiter, 67, conceded defeat early in the evening before all votes had been counted and announced the immediate end of his political career. The result was described by Bavarian media as a sensation, given that Reiter had long been considered the race's overwhelming favorite. Krause celebrated the result at the Greens' election party, where supporters greeted him with chants and the Oktoberfest hit "Bella Napoli."

„"I screwed it up, it's my fault."” (I screwed it up, it's my fault.) — Dieter Reiter via Bayerischer Rundfunk

„"We showed what politics can look like. Many thanks to Dieter Reiter."” (We showed what politics can look like. Many thanks to Dieter Reiter.) — Dominik Krause via ZEIT ONLINE

Munich has been governed by Social Democrats almost continuously since 1948, with the sole exception of the years 1978 to 1984, when CSU politician Erich Kiesl held the post of mayor. Reiter had first been elected mayor in 2014 and won re-election in 2020, when he received 47.9 percent in the first round and 71.7 percent in the runoff. The Greens have in recent years grown into a major force in German urban politics, particularly in large cities with younger, educated electorates.

FC Bayern payments scandal upended Reiter's campaign The turning point in the race came weeks before the runoff, when it emerged that Reiter had received payments from FC Bayern Munich for a position on the club's administrative advisory board without obtaining the required approval from the Munich city council. According to Stern, Reiter had not declared received for that role. According to Bayerischer Rundfunk, the payments amounted to an expense allowance of 10,000 euros per half-year, received since the end of 2021. Reiter apologized and resigned both from the administrative advisory board and from a supervisory board seat he had only recently taken on. The damage to his campaign was severe: in the first round on March 8, he received only 35.6 percent of the vote against pre-election forecasts of around 45 percent, while Krause finished close behind with 29.5 percent. Bayerischer Rundfunk noted that among voters who cast ballots on election day itself in the first round — rather than by post, before the affair became widely known — Krause had already led Reiter. Reiter's campaign slogan, "Munich. Reiter. Fits," came to symbolize a candidacy built around personal incumbency rather than policy, a contrast that Krause's issue-focused campaign exploited.

Munich Mayoral Race — First Round vs. Runoff: Dominik Krause (Greens) (before: 29.5% (March 8 first round), after: 56.4% (March 22 runoff)); Dieter Reiter (SPD) (before: 35.6% (March 8 first round), after: 43.6% (March 22 runoff))

Krause promises 50,000 apartments, coalition talks start Monday Krause, 35, built his campaign around affordable housing and high rents, issues that have long troubled Munich, one of Germany's most expensive cities. He promised to deliver 50,000 new apartments and campaigned under the slogan "Because more is possible," positioning himself as an agent of change against what he called stagnation at city hall. He told the German Press Agency on election night that coalition negotiations had been on hold pending the runoff result, and that preparations for exploratory talks would begin on Monday, March 23, starting with the SPD. Krause presented himself throughout the campaign as deliberately non-confrontational, and Welt reported that he delayed his appearance at the Greens' victory party because he was still exchanging text messages with the defeated Reiter. His election also carries symbolic weight: Krause openly identifies as gay, and as the first Green mayor of Munich he will be the first to open the city's Oktoberfest and tap the first keg as a member of the Greens. Clemens Baumgärtner of the CSU, who had finished third in the first round and backed Reiter before the runoff, signaled openness to cooperation with Krause's party, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung.

SPD suffers double blow as Rhineland-Palatinate also falls The Munich result was not the only setback for the SPD on March 22. In the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the CDU won the state election, ending more than three decades of continuous SPD leadership there since 1991. In Bavaria's second-largest city, Nuremberg, incumbent Marcus König of the CSU defended his position with 55.5 percent of the vote against SPD challenger Nasser Ahmed, who received 44.5 percent. In Augsburg, however, the SPD recorded a win: Florian Freund defeated incumbent Eva Weber of the CSU with 56.6 percent of the vote, a result described as a surprise given that Weber had led clearly after the first round. Across Bavaria, voters on Sunday decided on mayors in more than 250 municipalities and the leadership of 29 rural districts. For the Munich SPD, the loss of the mayoralty in the state capital — the party's strongest urban stronghold in Bavaria — marks a historic low point, coming as the SPD already holds only 17 seats in the Bavarian state parliament, making it the smallest party there.

Dominik Krause (Greens) — Munich: 56.4, Marcus König (CSU) — Nuremberg: 55.5, Florian Freund (SPD) — Augsburg: 56.6