Potsdam is a city located in Germany. - Debate arises regarding impending decision to remove Mayor Schubert.
A looming vote of no confidence against Potsdam's mayor, Michael Schubert (SPD), has sparked intense debate leading up to the local elections on Sunday. The leaders of the SPD and the Left Party argue that the vote can't happen, as they deem it to have been submitted too late. In contrast, Pete Heuer, chairman of the city council (SVV), asserts that the procedures will be adhered to.
Over fifty percent of the SVV members have signed the no-confidence motion, says Heuer, who is from the SPD faction. According to him, the motion is set to be voted on in a special SVV session on June 26 – which is after the local elections on June 9. Mayor Schubert is facing criticism for accepting free tickets for sporting events, not only for himself but also for his wife. He has yet to respond to these allegations. The public prosecutor's office in Neuruppin has started an investigation into the city's top official, looking into suspicions of bribery.
On Friday, Uwe Adler (SPD) and Stefan Wollenberg (Left) declared that they had requested to review the motion against the mayor. Adler explained that he found out for himself in the city council office that the motion wasn't there before 12:00 p.m. Thus, it wouldn't have been officially submitted, Adler added. According to Adler, a pre-planned minimum period of one month is mandatory from June 26 onwards, making a vote on the motion impossible. Additionally, Wollenberg threatened legal action if Heuer doesn't give up the vote.
Heuer countered these claims, stating that he had submitted two appointment proposals for viewing the files. The motion was made public with the invitation to the SVV special session on June 13 and had initially been accessible only with redacted information. It wasn't clear who had signed it. However, according to Heuer, there were enough signatures for a no-confidence motion, and a two-thirds majority in SVV would be needed to remove Schubert from office. So far, regulations stipulate that at least one month elapses between the submission of the motion and the decision (up to three months), and Schubert would have to choose whether to accept it or not. If he doesn't, there would be a public vote.
