AfD nominates Chaled-Uwe Said for Potsdam's mayoral election!

AfD nominates Chaled-Uwe Said for Potsdam's mayoral election!

The political landscape in Potsdam is taking shape as the AfD has nominated its candidate for the upcoming mayoral election. Chaled-Uwe Said, current parliamentary group leader of the AfD city council group, will throw himself into the ring on September 21, 2025. This nomination was announced by the district association in an official meeting on Sunday Daily Mirror reported.

The 50-year-old Said was born in Dresden in 1974 and has been living in Potsdam since 1998 after studying administrative sciences. After a year abroad in Russia from 2001 to 2002, he decided to join the AfD in 2017. Said's goals are clearly defined: He calls for a move away from ideological transport policy, more security for citizens and an immediate stop to “green” experiments in the areas of district heating and transport. He also takes a strict stance against illegal immigration, emphasizing that under his leadership there will be no housing for illegal migrants.

Election and political priorities

The upcoming new elections have become necessary because the previous mayor Mike Schubert (SPD) was voted out. However, the AfD's last election, in which Dennis Hohloch received 11.1 percent of the vote in 2018, does not seem to be the measure of support that Said is now seeking. In fact, the AfD has increased in popularity since then: in the federal election in February 2025, it received 16.9 percent of the second votes in Potsdam, according to the Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung noted.

When asked about the challenges that lie ahead of him, Said expressed his desire for a policy that is once again put at the service of the citizens. “We need a good handle on the city’s problems,” is his credo. He also advocates the construction of a third Havel crossing and describes the planned heating transition as the wrong path for Potsdam.

More candidates and political dynamics

Said, the second candidate, has already officially entered the race. The independent Jörn Karlipp was the first to make himself known publicly. City councilor Noosha Aubel, also non-party and currently active in Flensburg, is also considered a possible non-partisan candidate. The SPD would like to hold its party conference on July 5th to discuss the candidate question, which could further fuel the political dynamics in Potsdam.

The elections in Potsdam are part of a larger development within German local politics, as the AfD is now showing even in cities like Pirna, where Tim Lochner was the first AfD candidate to win a mayoral election. There he received around 38.5 percent of the vote, which underlines the party's success story in recent years. The Passauer Neue Presse reported that the AfD now holds two important local political offices and is therefore a serious political force in Germany.

The race for the mayor's office in Potsdam promises to be exciting. With Said running for office and making clear statements, the election campaign will certainly enter a new phase.