2027 mayoral election in Leipzig: Getu Abraham plans to stand as an independent candidate Video

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This makes Prof. Getu Abraham the 13th candidate in the field for the 2027 mayoral election – or perhaps the 14th, should Ralf Kohl, as he has announced, go on to officially declare his candidacy. Assuming there are thirteen candidates, there are still 11 men and only 2 women. Nine of them have already been officially nominated, as their parties are represented on the city council or the state parliament, whilst four – including Getu Abraham – still need to collect signatures of support.

Who is Getu Abraham?

Getu Abraham is 59 years old, comes from Ethiopia and came to Leipzig in 1989, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, to study.

From his own account in an interview with the LZ in 2024, we learn: “After completing a German language course here in Leipzig, I studied veterinary medicine, became a vet and then, after completing my veterinary training at university, spent many years conducting research. Mainly on veterinary medicines and clinical pharmacology, particularly in horses and so on. I then became a university lecturer and professor of veterinary pharmacology, and have been working at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Leipzig University for some time now.”

He joined the SPD in 2016, was elected to Leipzig City Council for the party in 2019, and was re-elected in 2024. In November 2024, due to irreconcilable differences, he left the SPD parliamentary group and resigned from the SPD. Getu Abraham subsequently served as an independent city councillor and was a member of the CDU parliamentary group, which he left upon announcing his candidacy on 21 September 2026.

On 25 September 2026, Getu Abraham officially announced his candidacy for the 2027 mayoral election.

25 September 2026 at Laufladen Leipzig

The choice of the Laufladen in Leipzig city centre was surely no coincidence: Getu Abraham is a long-distance runner – even a marathon runner – so perhaps it was also meant to be a statement about his sprint to City Hall. The introduction was given by the journalist and author Ulrike Gastmann, who also hosted the event.

Things soon became emotional when Getu Abraham described what it was like not to wear shoes until he was 17, taking the tram for the first time upon his arrival in Leipzig, and also when he was asked why he wanted to stand for election. You can see this in the video.

What does he want to achieve as Lord Mayor? Naturally, he wants to drive Leipzig’s economic progress; in particular, he wants to bring research findings to market through start-ups. Getu Abraham says, “I want to turn science into business.” More conferences are intended to boost the hotel and catering sectors, increase airport utilisation and strengthen the Halle-Leipzig metropolitan region.

Strengthening economic cooperation with the Global South is a particular priority for him. “What I would do – and will do – for the city in terms of the economy is to link the Global South with Leipzig-based companies. Once a year, I plan to organise workshops with companies and business representatives from South America, Asia and Africa.”

As regards the local authority, he intends to further develop it as a service provider for citizens and improve its efficiency.

There were other points; these can be read on his website. The election manifesto will be published there shortly.

At the end, we conducted a short interview, which can be seen here in the video. As Getu and I have been on first-name terms for many years, we continued to address each other that way. Before the interview, Getu had to try on a pair of running shoes after having his feet measured. When you’re in a running shop, that’s pretty much a must.

The field of candidates for the office of Mayor of Leipzig is continuing to grow. We’ll be speaking to the candidates again as the election campaign enters its crucial phase.