A belated Neustadt breakfast on 11 October, this time with candidates for the 2027 mayoral election

The communal breakfast at the Neustädter Markt in Leipzig, a tradition dating back over 20 years, was due to take place on 28 June 2026 but was cancelled due to the extreme heat. On 11 October, the time had finally come: the Bürgerverein Neustädter Markt e.V. extended an invitation, and the ever-energetic Ralf Kohl seized the opportunity to invite the candidates standing in the 2027 mayoral election.

It was still quiet at the Neustädter Markt, but that was to change later. Photo: Thomas Köhler

Ralf Kohl didn’t manage to reach everyone; for this ‘potential candidate for the post of senior citizen’, who operates mainly through analogue channels, it was difficult to find everyone’s contact details, and most of those he did reach either declined or made only non-committal, tentative promises.

When we arrived at Neustädter Markt shortly before 10.00 am, several stalls had already been set up; the DJ was getting ready to play vinyl records – and, in some cases, actual shellac records – later on, though the wind made this a bit tricky.

A proper DJ was playing shellac records. Photo: Thomas Köhler

Alongside Ralf Kohl, Fabian Schmidt from the Humanists and Dirk Thärichen were already present. A little later, Falk Fiebig from Volt arrived, and Skadi Jennicke, who had just returned from the delegation trip to Yerevan, joined them later on. That was the full line-up of candidates.

When we asked Ralf Kohl why he’d organized this event, he replied that he wanted to give residents – not just those from this neighbourhood – the chance to chat informally with the candidates. It would also provide an opportunity for public discussions and mutual exchange.

If it’s breakfast, then the candidate has to prepare it too. Photo: Thomas Köhler

Although the event had hardly been publicised – indeed, even the new date for the Neustadt Breakfast had been announced solely via notices put up in the neighbourhood – many visitors turned up over the course of the day. People approached the candidates, showing particular interest in getting to know the smaller parties and finding out about their manifestos and candidates.

A public discussion at the Humanists’ venue. Photo: Thomas Köhler

The candidates also used the time to talk amongst themselves, sometimes in one-to-one conversations, and possibly in a larger group discussion.

As far as we were able to observe, the topics were varied and mostly concerned challenges that everyone sees the city facing in the coming years. One issue that particularly concerned Ralf Kohl, Falk Fiebig and Fabian Schmidt was the collection of supporting signatures, which, in the form currently required for local elections, can already be described as an unreasonable hurdle for independent candidates and those from small parties. More on this in a later article.

Dirk Thärichen and Ralf Kohl in conversation. Photo: Thomas Köhler

Ralf Kohl’s suggestion that all candidates should, when invited to panel discussions – particularly by the media and public institutions – enquire whether all the other candidates had also been invited, met with general approval.

The typical Kohl approach – that the second round of voting should be omitted if no candidate achieves the required majority in the first round – was at least politely discussed. Instead, in such a case, the candidates should hold office jointly for two years whilst continuing in their professional roles.

The participating candidates have ‘immortalized’ themselves on the column. Photo: Thomas Köhler

Conclusion: The format seems to have proved its worth; given that the event had not been publicized in advance, a surprisingly large number of people wanted to speak to the candidates. With greater participation from candidates and timely announcement of the date, an even greater turnout could be expected. Another positive aspect is that the candidates struck up conversations in a relaxed manner; perhaps that is also helpful.