Student mayor

There might not have been much media hype in the weeks leading up to Sunday's mayoral vote in Monheim, a town of 43,000 residents just north of Cologne. But the election results sent journalists from around Germany scrambling for exclusive interviews with Monheim's new mayor.

It's not every day that a 27-year-old Cologne University student picks up a solid 30.4 percent of the vote. Even more remarkable is the fact that Zimmerman's political party, Peto, only has 250 members.

An overnight sensation

The last thing Zimmermann expected was to win.

But as soon as he answered an early morning phone call congratulating him on his victory, Zimmermann realized his doctoral studies were about to be put on ice. For the next six years, his primary job will be to run the town of Monheim.

In the days since the results were announced, the French and physics teacher has been inundated with media interviews. Once his election victory sunk in, Zimmermann said he thought his under-30 status helped him get elected.

"I won not despite my young age, but because of it," he told Deutsche Welle. "I am aware though, that 70 percent did not vote for me."

But he is not worried about that. After all, he beat six other candidates including the 31-year-old candidate for the Christian Democrats (CDU), Tim Bruehland.

The CDU had designated Bruehland as their candidate in an effort to attract young voters, though he came from the neighboring town of Wuelfrath. As a Monheimer, Zimmermann had an edge and he picked up 600 more votes, a four-percent lead, over his CDU challenger.

Peto founded by default, but not lightweight

The Peto Party – which in Latin means "I strive" – only exists in Monheim. Zimmermann says he has no ambitions to take the party to the federal level.

Peto got its start 10 years ago when Zimmermann and four school friends decided they wanted to "do something." They were not allowed to form a club or association, because under German law you have to be at least 18 years old and you need seven founding members. Given that Zimmerman was only 17 at the time and the group only had five members, they decided to found a political party instead.

"We might have just as easily founded a theater group," he joked.

In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, German and EU nationals aged 16 and above are allowed to take part in state elections.

During the 10 years of Peto's existence, the party became a local political force, Zimmermann said. It backed a successful project to renovate schools, ensured that music classes were offered to all first-year school kids free of charge and secured practice spaces for young bands.

So what are Zimmermann's immediate priorities as mayor?

"I want to give my town something. We want to improve children's day care and upgrade two neglected sports grounds," he said. "We also intend to attract more business and retailers to Monheim."

To accommodate Monheim's "mature" citizens, Zimmermann has already thought ahead, and set up a "30 plus" group to make sure the older members of Peto don't feel left out.

wl/dpa/AFP/AP
Editor: Nancy Isenson