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The ANO movement of Prime Minister Andrej Babis has achieved initial successes in the Czech municipal elections and could win in six out of 13 district cities, while the formation of coalitions for mayoral positions depends on the local parties. #Tschechien #Kommunalwahlen #Babis (translated)

Yvonne Kussmann reported, citing the spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior of Baden-Württemberg, that the 27-year-old Afghan entered Germany in December 2015 and applied for asylum. The BAMF rejected the application in January 2018 and threatened deportation to Afghanistan. A lawsuit by the man was dismissed by the administrative court in July 2021. Since then, he has been subject to enforceable deportation. Because deportations to Afghanistan were suspended from August 2021, he initially remained in Germany. After the federal government, under Interior Minister Dobrindt, organized regular deportations to Afghanistan again and obtained replacement documents more frequently, the government presidency of Karlsruhe initiated a passport procurement procedure for the man. His identity had been unclear until then. In early October, the local regulatory office delivered him a letter asking him to report to the General Consulate of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in mid-October. This did not happen. It is still unclear whether this is related to the incident in the Tuttlingen town hall, where the man appeared with a firearm and was shot by police officers after allegedly firing at them first, Kussmann wrote. According to Kussmann, the man had been convicted in Germany of bodily harm, trespassing, property damage, theft, and threats, resulting in fines. From October 2025 to April 2026, he served a substitute prison sentence. He was not registered with the special unit for dangerous foreigners in Baden-Württemberg. #Tuttlingen #Asylrecht #InnereSicherheit (translated)

Apollo News reported that during the local elections in Lower Saxony, thousands of mail-in ballots were opened prematurely in the Hanover region. AfD lawmaker Dirk Brandes announced that he would file a complaint against the election results. https://t.co/SRrWiU2yvI #Niedersachsen #Wahlen #Politik (translated)

Ansgar Schledde explained that in the local elections in the Hannover region, more than 3,000 outer ballot envelopes were opened prematurely in 14 out of 20 surrounding municipalities. He regarded this as a systematic violation of §59 of the Lower Saxony Municipal Election Code. The envelopes should have remained unopened and sealed; instead, ballots with the names and addresses of the voters became visible and were repackaged. The votes were then counted without verification, Schledde wrote. The procedure was ordered by the regional election office via email and was only stopped by the state election director four days before the election. Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) commented cautiously on the incident; supposedly, no impact on the election result was to be expected, criticized Schledde. He supported the objection of Bundestag member Dirk Brandes and announced a complete clarification as well as a legal examination. For the state elections in 2027, postal voting documents must be designed to prevent manipulation, and the rules must be adhered to. Those who violate the election regulations must face consequences, Schledde wrote. https://t.co/uzZye3DAPi #Wahlen #Demokratie #Niedersachsen (translated)

Working irregular hours is equally taxing regardless of whether you do it in a nursing home or in a factory. The fact that welfare employees work longer hours is a historical injustice that must be rectified, says Malin Ragnegård, union chair, Kommunal. It is incomprehensible that irregular work grants the right to shorter working hours in the male-dominated industry, but not in the female-dominated welfare sector. Now it is time to abolish women's working hours, says Malin Ragnegård, union chair, Kommunal. #välfärd #arbetstidsförkortning #kvinnoarbetstider (translated)

According to a new report from Kommunal, women in the welfare sector work more than two hours a week compared to industrial workers with irregular working hours, highlighting a historical injustice and lack of compensation for night and weekend work. #välfärd #arbetstidsförkortning #kvinnoarbetstider (translated)

NIUS reported that there were already irregularities in the postal voting before the local elections in Lower Saxony on September 13. In Burgwedel, employees of the city administration opened official ballot envelopes. Initially, there were reports of 172 affected letters; now the regional election director of the Hanover region has stated that at least 3,087 envelopes in 14 of the 20 surrounding municipalities were opened prematurely. https://t.co/EBrWLpozTw #Kommunalwahlen #Niedersachsen #Wahlrecht (translated)

The article discusses that the annual letters from the state to the municipalities, which assess their financial situation, have practically lost relevance, as since the change in budgeting in 2020, the budget potential is considered the decisive key figure. #Kommunalfinanzen #Stockerau #Haushaltsführung (translated)

Kai Nielsen jokingly asked whether it was about the political center and clarified that he meant the middle of the table. Seriously, he added that it was normal for him and his seat neighbor Pries from the AfD to talk to each other and drink coffee before meetings. It would be terrible if that were no longer possible in local politics, wrote Nielsen. #Kommunalpolitik #Gesprächskultur #Miteinander (translated)

Regina Laska criticized that the AfD and BSW had presented their first joint substantive proposal shortly after the constitution of the new state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt. In this proposal, they demanded, according to their portrayal, to stop German financial and military support for Ukraine and to lift sanctions against Russia. The state government should advocate for this in the Bundesrat; a special session is planned for October 14. Laska referred to a statement by BSW faction vice Claudia Wittig, who had called for a policy that thought more about Köthen than about Kyiv. In contrast, Laska presented results from the Saxony-Anhalt Monitor 2025: out of 1,077 respondents, who could name up to three problems, foreign policy was mentioned twelve times. Infrastructure and mobility ranked first with 360 mentions, economy and finance second with 352, followed by social issues, jobs, and education. Laska wrote that decisions on arms deliveries and sanctions were made by the federal government and the EU, while municipal financial equalization was state law. Therefore, the AfD and BSW had initially used their joint majority for a topic that the state parliament could not change, rather than for municipal finances. She described this as populism and accused the parties of pursuing a policy in the interests of Moscow. #SachsenAnhalt #AfD #Politik (translated)

Sparbuchfeinde wrote that one can have different opinions about politics and parties, and topics such as migration and foreign policy are emotional. However, in his view, the AfD has the best tax program in Germany. He listed as its components a uniform tax rate of 22 percent for individuals and companies, as well as a possible municipal surcharge of no more than 3 percent. There are also provisions for allowances of 15,000 euros for adults and 12,000 euros per child, a flat rate for advertising expenses of 2,000 euros, and an automatic adjustment of all allowances to inflation. According to sparbuchfeinde, the program also includes the abolition of the solidarity surcharge and inheritance and gift tax. For the property transfer tax, there should be an exemption for the first-time purchase of owner-occupied property, and otherwise, a limitation of the tax rate to a maximum of 3.5 percent. #Steuerpolitik #AfD #Deutschland (translated)

"In Vienna, we never did that and we will never do it (...). Back then, we had to endure the accusation: we did not understand the signs of the times." Ludwig explains that in large German cities, as in Vienna, there was a lot of municipal housing stock, which, however, was privatized starting in the 1980s. #Wien #Tourismus #Ranking (translated)

René Springer criticized that schools in Germany are dilapidated, bridges are broken, and municipalities are bankrupt, while another 1.35 billion euros are available for Kyiv. From his perspective, Friedrich Merz is setting the wrong priorities. Springer compared the amount to 1,350 investments of one million euros each, for example in schools, daycare centers, fire departments, roads, or municipal infrastructure. He called for Merz's resignation and a policy that prioritizes Germany again. #Deutschland #Politik #Infrastruktur (translated)