Newly-Elected German Mayor Stabbed, Daughter Named as Suspect
In the usually quiet town of Herdecke, a community of about 23,000 in western Germany, officials announced last week that mayor-elect Iris Stalzer, 57, was found at her home with life-threatening stab wounds and taken to a nearby hospital. Police later said they suspected a family member was responsible and found no political motive in the attack.
Stalzer was recently elected mayor on September 28 after narrowly defeating center-right Christian Democrat (CDU) candidate Fabian Conrad Haas with 52.2 percent of the vote in a runoff election. The CDU had held the mayor’s office for years, and Stalzer’s victory for the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) marked a significant political shift in the town. The SPD is the junior partner in Germany’s CDU-led national coalition, and Stalzer was set to take office November 1.
Authorities said emergency services were alerted in the early afternoon when Stalzer’s daughter reported that her mother had been wounded during an attempted robbery outside their home. When police arrived shortly before 1 p.m., they found Stalzer sitting in a chair with multiple stab wounds. Investigators later determined the attack had likely occurred indoors. She was airlifted to a hospital and has since been reported to be in stable condition.
Inside the home, police found two knives and bloodied clothing believed to have been used in the attack. They later detained Stalzer’s adopted 17-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son. Investigators said Stalzer herself suggested that her daughter was responsible, although the motive remains unclear.
The attack on Stalzer, which followed other German political attacks in recent years, quickly received condemnation, including by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who called it “an abhorrent act.” Merz subsequently showed his support by stating, “we fear for the life of Mayor-elect Iris Stalzer and hope for her full recovery.” Despite early speculation, prosecutors reiterated that there was no evidence of a political motive.
Although investigators have ruled out political intent, the attack has already become a topic in Germany’s tense political climate, where the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is polling at record highs, having recently overtaken the governing CDU for the most popular party in Germany for the first time in the party’s history. The case involves adopted teenagers, and even without any link to immigration, incidents like this often fuel speculation by populist figures who frame such violence as evidence of broader social decline.
As the AfD capitalizes on public anxieties about safety, integration, and social cohesion, isolated acts of domestic violence risk being politicized into narratives about migration and national identity. Analysts warn that such framing can deepen divisions and strengthen far-right sentiment at a time when trust in traditional parties continues to erode across Germany.