Belit Onay is the first person with a migration background to become mayor of a German state capital. So who is the man who’s overturned 70 years of SPD government in Hanover and won over the city?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Dittrich
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Well-dressed, cool and confident are the words that people use to describe Belit Onay. The Green politician doesn't look or act like many other politicians. He didn't wear a tie during the election campaign, and he's often seen casually dressed in T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. The 38-year-old's campaign poster showed him standing on a basketball court in sports gear. He's been known to wear a hat during interviews.
The media image conveys the message that this is an ordinary person who's going to bring a breath of fresh air to the Hanoverian political scene.
But Onay is not a newcomer to politics. After completing his law degree, he worked for five years for Filiz Polat, a Green representative in the state parliament, while also serving as a town councillor in Hanover. In 2013, Onay too became an elected Green party member of the state parliament in Lower Saxony.
Benefiting from the scandal?
Nonetheless, Onay can indeed be expected to bring new aspects to the regional capital. Never before has a Green politician held the highest office there. Never before has it had a mayor with a non-German background. Since 1946, Hanover's mayors have all been from the Social Democratic Party (SPD). This time, the SPD candidate didn't even make it to the run-off.
The fall from grace is doubtless also connected with the inglorious departure of Onay's predecessor in office, Stefan Schostok. The public prosecutor brought embezzlement charges against Schostok, and the city council pensioned him off.
Onay won the first round of voting, albeit only with 50 votes ahead of his CDU rival, Eckhard Scholz. The disparity was greater in the second ballot, although at just under 53% he didn't gain quite as much as he had hoped. Onay is now the fourth Green politician to become mayor of a major German city.
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Onay was born in 1981 in the Lower Saxon town of Goslar. His Turkish parents had come to Germany from Istanbul in the 1970s. His father worked in catering and went on to run his own restaurant. The taz newspaper says Onay describes himself as a "liberal Muslim."
One of many
His Turkish roots did play a role in his election campaign, but this wasn't the main theme. "Of course my Turkish origins were discussed during the campaign," Onay said in an interview with DW's Turkish Service shortly before the run-off. "People asked me where my family was from. But they weren't ill-intentioned questions. My migrant background is seen here as an asset."
Nor is he intent on putting his family background center stage. "Diversity is the norm in this city," he said. However, on his website Onay did also stress: "I realized how important it is for […] people with a migrant background […] to help shape daily life in the city, in which they live." These days, almost a third of the population of Hanover has foreign roots. Among people under 18, that figure is one in two.
Onay's political consciousness was awakened in 1993 by the arson attack in Solingen, which was motivated by right-wing extremism. "The racist arson attack in Solingen, in which five Turkish women were killed, changed my life," he told DW. "I was 12 years old, and I was deeply moved by the incident."
10 reasons to love Lower Saxony
Few towns and lots of countryside — Lower Saxony has so much variety. From the North Sea mudflats to the hills of the Weser Uplands, the northern state is Germany's second-largest in terms of area.
Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance
North Sea
A popular destination at the coast is the Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony, which is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. This tidal area is home to more than 10,000 animal and plant species. One Wadden Sea inhabitant is especially popular with visitors: the seal. To get close to these animals, head to the seal house in the German Wadden Sea National Park.
One of the oldest tourist attractions is Lüneburg Heath. Starting in August, the lilac bloom spectacle attracts some 5 million tourists every year. A shepherd with a flock of docile heathland sheep completes the picture of this pastoral idyll. A nature reserve since 1922, it's not only the oldest, but also — at 23,437 hectares (about 57,914 acres) — the largest wildlife sanctuary in Lower Saxony.
Image: Jochen Tack/picture alliance
Hannover
The famous landmark of the state capital is the New Town Hall. Take the unique lift, the only one in Europe with an arched course, to the observation platform for a great view of the city with its narrow old town alleys, sailing boats on the Maschsee lake and the Sprengel modern art museum. Must-see exhibits there include the colorful giant female sculptures by artist Niki de Saint Phalle.
Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance
Weser cycle path
"I want to ride my bicycle; I want to ride my bike!": The band Queen would have a marvelous time on Lower Saxony's bike routes. The Weser cycle path follows the river some 500 kilometers (300 miles) all the way to the North Sea Weser estuary. The route runs past many old castles, like this one in Polle. Cyclists also repeatedly cross the river, at times using a hand-operated ferry.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Holger Hollemann
Hamelin, home of the pied piper
Anyone visiting the Weser Uplands should definitely go to Hamelin. Many buildings in the old town are built in the Weser renaissance style, a northern German version of the Italian architecture. Yet the town is best known the world over for the folktale of the pied piper of Hamelin describing the disappearance of city's children. The tale has been translated into more than 30 different languages.
Image: Schoening/imageBROKER/picture alliance
World heritage in Goslar
The Rammelsberg mine in Goslar is one of the world's oldest ore extraction sites. Here at the foot of the Harz Mountains, ore was mined for more than 1,000 years. The power for the mining work was won from a complex system of water ditches and reservoirs, including one of the oldest dams in Europe. The Rammelsberg mine and the old town center of Goslar are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim are also classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hildesheim was first mentioned in official records some 1,200 years ago. According to legend, Emperor Louis the Pious is said to have experienced a divine miracle here, and founded St. Mary's Cathedral on the site as a way of giving thanks.
Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance
Bückeburg Royal Court Riding School
Lower Saxony is horse country. The noble animal has adorned the northern German state's coat of arms since 1946. It's little surprise, then, that this is where you'll find Germany's only princely school of dressage at Bückeburg Castle. The stables in this 17th century building are home to horses of the still existing baroque breeds for dressage.
Image: Holger Hollemann/dpa/picture alliance
Car city Wolfsburg
If you're after a more modern version of horsepower, then head to the VW factory in Wolfsburg, one of Germany's newest towns. It was founded for the VW car factory workers in 1938, and vehicles are still produced here today. A walk through the town also gives you an insight into the history and the future of car manufacturing.
Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance
Roman battles relived
In the year AD 9, Germanic leader Arminius lured Roman forces led by Varus into an ambush resulting in the death of 20,000 Roman soldiers. To this day it's still unknown where exactly this famous battle of the Teutoburg Forest took place. One possible site is Kalkriese village north of Osnabrück. That's reason enough to open an archaeological museum there, where battles are reenacted for visitors.
Image: Lino Mirgeler/dpa/picture alliance
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Politics of cooperation
On the night of his election, the Green politician immediately made clear that he wanted to be a mayor "for all people," regardless of how they had cast their vote. The mayor-elect told the German public broadcaster NDR that the important task over the coming weeks was to work with the administration to build a proper team, which he would need in order to realize his plans for the city.
His most important project is a new mobility concept for Hanover, which includes a virtually car-free city center by 2030, more space for cyclists, a more attractive public transport system. He also wants to create affordable housing, and promote culture. His vision is of a diverse city that can accommodate various different ways of life.
Onay is focusing on classic Green issues. The fact that Robert Habeck, the federal Green party leader, came to Hanover not just for the campaign but for the election party as well clearly indicates his esteem for the new mayor. In addition, though, the party as a whole will be hoping to benefit from Onay's charisma as he takes up his new office.
Tuncay Yıldırım und Aydin Üstünel contributed to this report.
