II, the CDU is the biggest party in the town council (German: Stadtrat). Since the 2020 local election, there are 5 groups in the town council (38 seats): CDU 56.48% of the votes, 21 seats SPD 17.48%, 7 seats Alliance 90/The Greens 16.38%, 6 seats FDP 5.25%, 2 seats AFD 4.42%, 2 seats. The Mayor of Salzkotten is Ulrich Berger (CDU). He was elected in 2014 with 70.3 of the votes% and was re-elected in 2020 with 93.90 of the votes% Culture The town has three significant annual celebrations: the Sälzerfest (salt producers' festival), the Schützenfest (fair featuring shooting matches) and the Hederauenfest. The Schützenfest itself is an event that takes place in many towns and cities across the state. Twin towns – sister cities Salzkotten is twinned with: Belleville, France Brüssow, Germany Bystřice pod Hostýnem, Czech Republic Cartigny-l'Épinay, France Cerisy-la-Forêt, France Seefeld in Tirol, Austria Notable people Franz-Joseph Schulze (1918–2005), officer of the Wehrmacht, general of the Bundeswehr Laurenz Meyer (born 1948), politician (CDU) Andreas Keuser (born 1974), cyclist Jörg Philipp Terhechte (born 1975), legal scientist and university professor References External links Official website Population statistics Paderborn (district)