Wichtiger Hinweis
Advisory Board on Foreign Residents and Integration: Election Results Are In
Stand: 03.08.2026
From July 6 to 27, approximately 24,422 residents of Erlangen were called upon to cast their votes in the election for the Advisory Board on Foreigners and Integration. Voter turnout for the election—which was held online for the first time—was 5.7 percent.
Who was elected?
The following were elected for the European electoral group: Elizabeth Nicholson (United Kingdom), Lukas Nussbaumer (Italy), Novka Božović (Montenegro), Beatrix Pinar Arpapay (Turkey), Kasimir Kičin (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Heinz Werner Szabo (Romania), Dmytro Pivovarov (Ukraine), Mariia Boretska (Ukraine), Andrii Zaporozhets (Ukraine), Elena Svereva (Russia), and Ðorđe Popović (Serbia).
For the Africa Electoral Group: Bilkiss Atchia-Emmerich (Mauritius), Mercy Akinyi Heuschneider (Kenya), and Zeineb Azouzi (Tunisia).
The eleven Advisory Board seats for the Asia Electoral Group are held by: Asha Ramesh (India), Gargi Arijit Bhattacharyya (India), Sriram Aiyyer (India), Sanaz Moftakhari Lajevardi (Iran), Huseyn Kamalzade (Azerbaijan), Liang Zhang (China), Elena Born (Kazakhstan), Erfan Hajian (Iran), Lilit Harutyunyan (Armenia), Imtiaz Hussain (Pakistan), and Summera Fatima (Pakistan).
No election will be held for the Americas/Australia group in accordance with § 15(3) of the Election Regulations. Not enough candidates have come forward in this group. Therefore, the candidates in this group (Liliana Christl from Venezuela and George William Mills from the U.S.) will be directly appointed to the Advisory Board by the City Council at the beginning of the term of office, in accordance with Section 21(1) of the Election Regulations.
The Advisory Board’s constituent meeting is expected to take place in October. By then, it will also be clear whether all those elected will accept their seats. More information about the Advisory Board for Foreign Residents and Integration is available online at www.erlangen.de/aib.
The official publication in the Official Gazette (Die amtlichen Seiten) will appear in the next issue on August 6, 2026.
A total of 49 valid nominations were submitted for the election. All valid nominations were published in a special edition of the Official Pages on June 8. Two candidacies were subsequently withdrawn. The candidates are divided into four electoral groups. The distribution is based on the number of foreign residents in Erlangen.
- Europe (11 seats)
- Asia (11 seats)
- The Americas/Australia (3 seats)
- Africa (3 seats).
Election Results
Europe Electoral Group
| Rank | First Name Last Name, Country of Origin | Valid Votes |
| 1 | Elizabeth Nicholson, United Kingdom | 468 |
| 2 | Lukas Nussbaumer, Italy | 452 |
| 3 | Novka Božović, Montenegro | 402 |
| 4 | Beatrix Pinar Arpapay, Turkey | 384 |
| 5 | Kasimir Kičin, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 357 |
| 6 | Heinz Werner Szabo, Romania | 354 |
| 7 | Dmytro Pivovarov, Ukraine | 353 |
| 8 | Mariia Boretska, Ukraine | 343 |
| 9 | Andrii Zaporozhets, Ukraine | 336 |
| 10 | Elena Svereva, Russia | 301 |
| 11 | Đorđe Popović, Serbia | 280 |
Africa Voting Group
| Rank | First Name Last Name, Country of Origin | Valid Votes |
| 1 | Dr. Bilkiss Atchia-Emmerich, Mauritius | 404 |
| 2 | Mercy Akinyi Heuschneider, Kenya | 310 |
| 3 | Zeineb Azouzi, Tunisia | 283 |
Asia Electoral Group
| Rank | First Name Last Name, Country of Origin | Valid Votes |
| 1 | Asha Ramesh, India | 461 |
| 2 | Gargi Arijit Bhattacharyya, India | 371 |
| 3 | Sriram Aiyyer, India | 367 |
| 4 | Sanaz Moftakhari Lajevardi, Iran | 351 |
| 5 | Huseyn Kamalzade, Azerbaijan | 327 |
| 6 | Liang Zhang, China | 305 |
| 7 | Elena Born, Kazakhstan | 275 |
| 8 | Erfan Hajian, Iran | 258 |
| 9 | Lilit Harutyunyan, Armenia | 248 |
| 10 | Imtiaz Hussain, Pakistan | 240 |
| 11 | Summera Fatima, Pakistan | 213 |
Detailed information is available here (PDF file):
AIB Election 2026 Election Results
About the Advisory Board for Foreigners and Integration
Founded in 1974, the council consists of elected members with a migration background. It represents the political interests of people with a migration background in Erlangen. Approximately 40 percent of Erlangen’s population has a migration background.
The Advisory Board works to ensure that their interests are taken into account in local political decisions—in particular, the concerns of people who are not allowed to vote in local elections due to their citizenship status. In addition, the AIB works to combat discrimination and racism and promotes harmonious coexistence within the city’s community.
Further information is available online
Questions and Answers About the Election for the Advisory Board on Foreign Residents and Integration
The Foreign Residents and Integration Advisory Board (AIB) is elected by electoral groups.
A total of 28 seats are available, which are distributed among the individual electoral groups. The distribution is based on the number of foreign residents in Erlangen.
The seat allocation in the new AIB will be as follows:
- Europe Electoral Group: 11 seats = 11 votes
- Asia Electoral Group: 11 seats = 11 votes
- America/Australia Electoral Group: 3 seats = 3 votes
- Africa Electoral Group: 3 seats = 3 votes
Therefore, you may cast a maximum of 28 votes in total. The number of votes within an electoral group corresponds to the number of seats to be allocated in that group. You may also cast fewer votes or no votes at all within an electoral group. Unallocated votes cannot be transferred to another electoral group. If you cast more votes than the permitted number in an electoral group, all votes in that electoral group will be invalidated.
The election will take place online from July 6 to July 27, 2026.
If you are eligible to vote, you will receive a letter regarding the election by mail. This letter will contain your login information, a QR code, and a password. The QR code will take you to the AIB election page. There, you can cast your votes for the candidates of the Advisory Board for Foreigners and Integration. Instructions for the online election in German and English can be found further down on this page.
If you lose your password, please contact Ms. Geiger at 09131-86 1213 on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. or on Wednesdays between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
- You are a foreign resident
- You will be at least 18 years old by the end of the election, meaning you were born on or before July 27, 2008
- You have had your primary residence in Erlangen for at least three consecutive months.
- You are a resident with a German passport and at least one foreign-born parent, or you are a naturalized citizen or an ethnic German repatriate; in this case, you may also vote and run for office, but you must apply to be added to the voter registry by Thursday, May 7, 2026. Only then will you be able to participate in the election. For more information, please contact the office (auslaenderbeirat@stadt.erlangen.de).
Eligibility Requirements for Candidacy:
- You are a foreign resident.
- You must be at least 18 years old by the end of the election, meaning you must have been born on or before July 27, 2008.
- You have had your primary residence in Erlangen continuously since at least June 3, 2024.
- You are a resident with a German passport and at least one foreign parent, or you are a naturalized citizen or a late repatriate. (In this case, you may vote and run for office upon application. For more information, please contact the office of the Advisory Board for Foreigners and Integration.)
Send an email to the AIB administration (auslaenderbeirat@stadt.erlangen.de). The nomination form will be sent to you. Please print out the completed form.
Please submit the following documents by no later than Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., to the office of the Foreigners and Integration Advisory Board of the City of Erlangen, Rathausplatz 1, 12th floor, Room 1211, Tel. 09131-86 1338:
- The fully completed and signed form
- A copy of your passport
- A recent photo
You may also fill out the application digitally, but you must still submit the other documents later.
We cordially invite you to the introductory event on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., at Erlangen City Hall, Council Chamber, 1st floor.
If you have any questions about the election or need assistance due to a disability, please contact us:
Office of the Advisory Board for Foreign Residents and Integration
Rathausplatz 1, 91052 Erlangen, 12th Floor, Room 1211,
Monday through Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Phone number: 09131-86 1338
Email: auslaenderbeirat@stadt.erlangen.de
Privacy Notice in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regarding the election to the Advisory Board for Foreigners and Integration (AIB):
Contact Information for the Data Controller
The City of Erlangen (Rathausplatz 1, 91052 Erlangen, email: stadt@stadt.erlangen.de; phone: 09131 86-0) is responsible for data collection;
The entity responsible for processing the collected data is the Citizens’ Office, Foreigners’ Registration Office, Rathausplatz 1, 91052 Erlangen, phone: 09131 86-1993, email: auslaenderbehoerde@stadt.erlangen.de;
as well as the Mayor’s Office and Press Office, Secretariat of the Advisory Board on Foreigners and Integration, Rathausplatz 1, 91052 Erlangen, Phone: 09131 86-1338, Email: auslaenderbeirat@stadt.erlangen.de.
Contact Information for the Data Protection Officers
Data Protection Officer of the City of Erlangen, Rathausplatz 1, 91052 Erlangen, email: datenschutz@stadt.erlangen.de.
Purpose and Legal Basis of Processing
For the purposes of providing information, organizing, and conducting the AIB election, the data controllers process personal data, in particular for sending election and informational materials, for establishing contact as part of election communications, and, to the extent necessary, for documenting the proper conduct of the election.
The processing is based on Article 6(1)(c) and (e) and Article 14 of the GDPR for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, in conjunction with the municipal and electoral regulations set forth in the Election Regulations for the AIB election and the AIB Bylaws of the City of Erlangen.
Categories of personal data that are processed
The City of Erlangen processes the following personal data about you:
- Last name, first name, title,
- date of birth,
- Address,
- Gender,
- Nationality,
- Place of birth.
Retention Period for Personal Data
Personal data of eligible voters is used exclusively for the purposes of election communication and administration. Your data will be deleted after the AIB election is completed.
Data Subject Rights
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights:
- If your personal data is being processed, you have the right to obtain information about the data stored regarding you (Article 15 of the GDPR).
- If inaccurate personal data is being processed, you have the right to have it rectified (Article 16 of the GDPR).
- If the legal requirements are met, you may request the erasure or restriction of processing (Articles 17 and 18 of the GDPR).
If you exercise your rights as described above, the City of Erlangen will review whether the legal requirements for doing so have been met.
Furthermore, you have the right to file a complaint with the Bavarian State Commissioner for Data Protection (P.O. Box 22 12 19, 80502 Munich, Phone: 089 212672-0, Email: poststelle@datenschutz-bayern.de.
Obligation to Provide Data
The City of Erlangen requires your data to determine whether you are eligible to vote in the AIB election.
The Advisory Board
Foreigners and Integration Advisory Board (AIB)
The Foreigners and Integration Advisory Board (AIB) represents the interests and takes care of the needs of people from other countries who live and work in Erlangen.
Foreigners and Integration Advisory Board (AIB)
The Foreigners and Integration Advisory Board (AIB) represents the interests and takes care of the needs of people from other countries who live and work in Erlangen.
Office of the Foreigners' and Integration Advisory Council
Anschrift
Öffnungszeiten
Office: 12th floor, room 1211