Law to initiate voting procedures for mayors and district administrators through citizens' petitions
The law to initiate voting procedures for mayors and district administrators through citizens' petitions is a state law in North Rhine-Westphalia . It was passed on May 18, 2011 by the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia at the request of the left . This law made it possible to vote out mayors and district administrators in North Rhine-Westphalia. It preceded the referendum on the election of the Lord Mayor of Duisburg and was used for the first time.
The law opens up two ways of voting out the mayor before the end of his term of office. On the one hand, the city council can initiate the voting procedure with a two-thirds majority upon request . On the other hand, this can also be done by a citizen's application if it fulfills the required quorum . This is at least 20% for municipalities with up to 50,000 inhabitants, at least 17.5% for up to 100,000 inhabitants and at least 15% for more.