Forty-two seats are required for a majority in the Essen City Council, where 82 seats are decided through nationwide proportional representation.
Poliwave reported that the Christian Democratic Union of Germany secured 25 seats and 30.2% of the vote in the 2025 Essen City Council election, making them the largest party in the chamber. The Social Democratic Party of Germany followed with 19 seats and 22.6% of the vote, while the Alternative for Germany took 14 seats with 16.9%.
Alliance 90/The Greens captured 10 seats with 12.3%, and The Left secured 5 seats representing 5.8% of the total vote. Smaller factions also entered the chamber, including the Essen Citizens’ Alliance – Free Voters with 2 seats and 2.8%, the Free Democratic Party with 2 seats and 1.9%, and Die PARTEI with 1 seat and 1.8%.
The entire chamber is elected in a single national district, with seats shared out in direct proportion to the nationwide vote share. Constituencies account for 41 of the total 82 seats up for grabs.
| Party | Vote Share | Seats Won |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 30.2% | 25 |
| Social Democratic Party of Germany | 22.6% | 19 |
| Alternative for Germany | 16.9% | 14 |
| Alliance 90/The Greens | 12.3% | 10 |
| The Left | 5.8% | 5 |
| Essen Citizens’ Alliance – Free Voters | 2.8% | 2 |
| Free Democratic Party | 1.9% | 2 |
| Die PARTEI | 1.8% | 1 |
Thomas Markus Kufen won the 2025 Essen mayoral election after securing 57.1% in the final round of voting, Poliwave reported. Kufen had earlier taken 42.3% of the vote in the first round.
Julia Klewin finished second in the mayoral race, advancing to the final round where she recorded 42.9% of the vote after capturing 20.2% in the first round. Andreas Lojewski finished with 15.8% in the initial round, while Inga Marie Sponheuer secured 9.0%.
Liesa Schulz received 4.9% of the first-round vote, followed by Jörg Küpperfahrenberg with 3.5% and Mike Rohleder with 2.8%. Heiko Uwe Johannes Jürgen Müller rounded out the candidate field with 1.5%.
Poliwave said that the Essen election simulator operates by allowing users to choose an election to start from and adjust each party’s vote share to recalculate seat distribution under nationwide proportional representation.
