Das Gro[Beta]stadttrauma der CDU bei Oberbürgermeisterwahlen: Warum verlieren die Kandidaten der Christdemokraten so oft?/The conservative's metropolitan trauma - Why do CDU candidates frequently lose mayoral elections?

As the majority of German metropolises is governed by social democratic mayors the conservatives are often certified to have a metropolitan problem. But looking at federal, regional, and local council elections the CDU and CSU can achieve success. However, in mayoral elections social democratic or green candidates often defeat them. In this paper we focus on elections in which the conservatives lost mayor's offices. On the one hand the individual qualities of the candidates influence their chances in elections, and on the other hand the condition of the nominating party is an important factor. In some cases, the selection of candidates can be described as insufficient. Furthermore the regional political situation is significant for the electoral success.