Ralf Leßmeister re-elected as district administrator
Ralf Leßmeister (CDU) remains district administrator of the Kaiserslautern district. In the election on May 18, 2025, he clearly prevailed against his SPD challenger.
On Sunday, May 18, 2025, it was time: The citizens of the Kaiserslautern district voted in the district administrator election – and clearly opted for continuity. The incumbent Ralf Leßmeister (CDU) was re-elected as district administrator with 68.6% of the votes. His challenger, Thorsten Haferanke from the SPD, received 31.4%. Voter turnout was 34.3%.
What does the result mean?
Ralf Leßmeister will thus remain head of the district administration – and, according to his own statements, wants to build on previous projects and developments. Under the campaign slogan “Leß do it again,” he had entered the race. On election night he expressed his gratitude: “I am pleased that the voters have recognized our work over the past nearly eight years and have given me and the entire district politics their trust for another term.”
What does local politics do?
Even if local politics sometimes seems distant – decisions at the district level affect many areas of life: for example, bus connections, school locations, digitalization in administration, or leisure and cultural offerings in rural areas. So anyone who lives, goes to school, studies, trains, or works in the Kaiserslautern district should keep an eye on political developments.
Neutral assessment
The low voter turnout unfortunately also shows: Only about one third of eligible voters cast their vote – whether due to disinterest, lack of knowledge, or the feeling that nothing can be changed anyway. Yet the rule applies: Those who get involved have influence. Those who don’t vote leave the decision to others.
Sources
🔗 Article by the Kaiserslautern District Administration: https://www.kaiserslautern-kreis.de/aktuelles/2025/mai/less-did-it-again-ralf-lessmeister-als-landrat-wiedergewaehlt/
🔗 Election results: https://www.rlp-wahlen.de/K7335/Landrat2025/