Intro
Street Campaigning in GermanySunflowers, Ice Cream and Spies
All over the place people are discussing, quarrelling, arguing and being recruited – and we owe all this to the tremendous commitment of many of the campaigners. They spend their free weekends on a draughty information stand, distributing flowers, selling ice cream and pasting posters.
A look behind the scenes of street campaigning in Bavaria and Berlin.
One Day – Seven Parties
Kleistern für die Kanzlerin
Christlich-Soziale Union (Christian Social Union)/CSUPasting Posters for the ChancellorVaterstetten, Bavaria, 6 pm the evening before
What we are not aware of – behind every poster there is a lot of work. On a Tuesday, after work, the members of the CSU party’s local branch in Vaterstetten meet on a farm, about half an hour’s drive from Munich. That is where the freshly printed election posters are stored, ready to be put into action. From the wooden hinged frames to the glue to assembling the display – they do everything themselves in Vaterstetten.
Posters and People – The CSU and its election campaigners.
The CSU was founded in 1945, just after the Second World War. It has been represented in the German parliament since the first Bundestag election in 1949. “Our basic values,” as the CSU says of itself, “are derived from the Christian view of humanity.”
Pasting Posters for the Chancellor
When it comes to placarding, it is clear just how well coordinated the election campaign team is. The CSU in Vaterstetten has planned to do 70 posters in one evening.
Benedikt Weber, CSU
Some find that the CSU is an old men’s party, but Benedikt Weber is 29 and has just finished his studies. What inspired him to work in an election campaign?
A Bavarian Speciality – The CSU
Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel is the best-known face of the CDU and again the party’s top candidate in this election. In Bavaria, however, the people cannot vote for the CDU, only for the CSU (Christian Social Union) – and the CSU is only up for election in Bavaria. Actually, the CDU and CSU are two different parties, but they form a joint parliamentary group in the German parliament. That is why Angela Merkel is also the chancellor candidate of the CSU.
The CSU was founded in 1945, just after the Second World War. It has been represented in the German parliament since the first Bundestag election in 1949. “Our basic values,” as the CSU says of itself, “are derived from the Christian view of humanity.”
When the pasted posters have dried, they are taken to the streets. In half an hour, two campaigners put 15 posters into position all over an entire district, taking two minutes per poster, including journey time and assembly – might also be another record!
Let the election begin!
Die Linke
Die LinkeThe Urge to DiscussIn the South of Munich, 10 am
And he has been politically active ever since he can remember. Earlier in a trade union, a member of Die Linke right from the start. In this election campaign, he has been active on every information stand in the South of Munich – that is what he likes best. At the ripe old age of 72 he is not particularly interested in having a function or a political office. “I like campaigning on the streets and talking to the people.”
Die Linke
“We believe in the humanitarian dream,” writes Die Linke about itself, “that a better world is possible.” It is currently the youngest party in the Bundestag - but nevertheless can still look back over a long history. Die Linke was formed in 2007 when the West German party, WASG (Electoral Alternative for Labour and Social Justice), merged with the East German PDS (Party of Democratic Socialism). The PDS was the successor of the German Democratic Republic’s state party. Die Linke has two chairpersons – it is often one man and one woman, one from West Germany and one from the East.
Well Stocked
Every election campaign also requires a range of so-called give-aways. Die Linke has a large – and creative – selection.
Not Afraid of Discussions
Not everyone wants to speak with the four campaigners from the party’s local branch in the South of Munich - and that is the one thing the campaigners would really like, because, “We are the ones you can really discuss things with!”
Today the campaigners are not so lucky with the weather. It has started to rain, the newspapers are getting wet and the wind is blowing the leaflets off the table. So they are going to call it a day and finish earlier – after all, there is still enough time before election day for a lot more info stands.
The AfD
The Alternative for Germany (AfD)Campaigning on the far rightBerlin-Buch, 10 am
Markus Egg, AfD
For Egg, professor of English Studies at Berlin’s Humboldt University, it was the financial crisis that prompted him to join the AfD. “Disastrous mistakes were made and there was no opposition from the established parties in the Bundestag. I wanted to get involved. There is no place for politics at the university, not even in my seminars. I would like to have sensible politics that would manage to bring people's interests into harmony with the interests of the world and with a healthy dose of common sense.”
The AfD
The Alternative for Germany party was founded in Berlin in 2013 and was originally a Euro-sceptical and right-wing liberal party. In the meantime, it is has taken a right-wing populist to right-wing radical position on the political spectrum. The party’s chairpersons are Frauke Petry and Jörg Meuthen.
Olaf Busch, AfD
The father of three says – everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I vote for them, I don’t vote for them...
These passers-by all have their very own opinion about the AfD. Click here to find out more!
The Free Democrats
The Free Democrats (FDP)On a Secret MissionBerlin-Mitte, 2 pm
It is Sunday trading on Berlin’s Alexanderplatz and the women campaigning there, despite the rain, have decided to adopt an unusual approach – to make the passers-by more aware of data protection – an important program point of the party – some of them have even turned into spies.
The FDP Strategy
The “Espionage Campaign” in Pictures
The FDP
The FDP was represented in the Bundestag from 1949 to 2013 without any breaks and participated in many governments. However, by 2011 the popularity of the party had already declined and it started to suffer losses in many of the regional state elections. One of the central points on the FDP’s agenda is the demand that the state should protect the individual freedom of its citizens.
A Battler for Values – Florence Mahwera, FDP
Her heart, says campaigner, Florence Mahwera, has been beating for the FDP for a long time. Here she tells you why.
Young, Liberal – Tara, FPD
... and on a Sunday I’d much rather be on the campaign stand than anywhere else. Tara from the Young Liberals, the “Julis”, in an interview.
A Spy – Zoé von Finck, FDP
Zoé von Finck stalks passers-by for the FDP. The aim – to spy on their mobile phones. The FDP wants to draw attention to the fact that many of them do not adequately protect their data.
At any rate, Tara, Florence and Zoé have given their all for their party this Sunday in Berlin. Maybe it has not been in vain, either – according to the latest polls, the Free Democrats are likely to regain some seats in the Bundestag.
The Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)Breaking the Ice with Ice CreamBerlin-Wilmersdorf, 3 pm
Vanilla or cream? “Cream, of course,” says a woman passing by. “Campaigning with ice cream helps us to get into conversation with people much more easily and that’s good,” says one of the campaigners. And what do you know, while her party colleague hands out tubs of ice cream over his mobile counter, telling people, “Once you’ve licked it, you’ll love it”, the other campaigner chats with the passers-by.
Been with them for 25 years – Simon Vaut, SPD
Simon Vaut has been a party member for almost a quarter of a century. On his 16th birthday, Simon Vaut joined the SPD, “I come from a social-democratic family. My father was a bricklayer, he then retrained to become a teacher and headmaster, always a very committed SPD member. I work in the German Federal Foreign Office where I am a speech writer. Hardly any of my friends have any allegiance to a party. I think it is also OK if you decide who you’re going to vote for from one election to the next.”
Spoilt for Choice
“I’d rather not,” “We’ll see,” “It is hard”. Many are still undecided, which party they should choose. Might the SPD approach of seducing people with a tub of refreshing ice cream change that on this sunny Saturday afternoon?
For Six Weeks ...
... that is how long this young election campaigner has been a party member. After completing her bachelor thesis, she wrote to the SPD asking whether she could help with the election campaign. They said yes!
The SPD
The Social Democratic Party of Germany can look back over more than 150 years of history. Their basic values are freedom, justice and solidarity. The SPD became the strongest party nationwide for the first time in the 1970s. It was represented in different government coalitions, and for a total of 20 years the Federal Chancellor was an SPD man.
Campaigning with the SPD
The Ice Cream Strategy in Pictures.
What the passers-by will vote for? Many are still undecided. But the action with the ice cream was a hit. “Cool”, “winning”, "down-to-earth" was the verdict.
The Christian Democratic Union
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU)Everything for “Our Kai”Berlin-Spandau, 4 pm
Then they swarmed out into the western part of Berlin, knocking on every door to convince people about “Their Kai”. Then, in the afternoon, more Junge Union colleagues take to the streets. In Spandau’s old town they distribute jute bags. Most people are enthusiastic and go directly to the group dressed in dark blue T-shirts: “I would also like one of those bags!” Shortly afterwards they have to bring in new supplies
Leon Hanschmann, CDU
“Now we’re doing a Double Whopper”, Leon Hanschmann laughs. The 18-year-old is chairman of the student section of the CDU in Berlin-Spandau. It is not a hamburger, however, that Leon is talking about on this Friday afternoon in the west of the city. Together with Max Grüninger, the chairman of the Junge Union, and Dion Porth, the treasurer, Leon is out placarding election posters. One at the front, one at the back. A double whopper, so to speak. The guys have been placarding for two weeks, sometimes through the night till five o’clock in the morning. Today, they are hanging the last of a total of 5,000 posters in a quiet residential district of Spandau.
The CDU
The CDU – the Christian Democratic Union of Germany – is one of the two major established parties in Germany. The CDU is politically centre-right, it stands for traditional Christian values such as family and marriage. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a member of the CDU.
Out doing some re-placarding
Actually, the election placards have been up for quite a while. But they have to be renewed every now and then. Is placarding fun? Click here!
Nailing voters with jute bags
The Junge Union uses practical fabric bags with the image of their candidate printed on them. Would you like to know what they have experienced while out campaigning? Click here!
They’ll be distributing jute bags here until eight o'clock in the evening. Ten to twelve hours a day for the CDU, this is not a rarity during the election campaign.
Bündnis 90/Die Grünen
Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen – Germany’s Green PartySay it with flowersMunich, 5 pm
For a year and a half he has been a member of Die Grünen and their youth organisation, Grüne Jugend (Green Youth). Two or three times a month he takes part in the election campaign in Munich. It is actually “less stressful than I imagined”. 2017 is his first Bundestag election campaign – due to his age, of course.
With bicycles and sunflowers – how Die Grünen are campaigning for votes this year.
The party has two chairpersons – the condition is that at least one of them has to be a woman.
Flower Power
Where do they get all their sunflowers from?
Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen
Wearing sneakers for the swearing-in ceremony or knitting during plenary sessions – when Die Grünen were founded in 1979, they certainly gave the party landscape in Germany a good shake-up. They were mainly concerned with environmental protection, peace and equality. Today, they and the issues they focused on have become part of mainstream politics. In 1993 the West German Greens joined forces with the East German Green Party, Bündnis 90. Since then they have been known as Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen.
The party has two chairpersons – the condition is that at least one of them has to be a woman.
Campaigning on three wheels
Since this summer the Munich branch of Die Grünen have a new member in their electoral campaign team – the Green Info-Bike. The e-bike can be loaded up with all their information materials – and has also been well received by passers-by.
This time, Leander Hirschsteiner rides the bike home to his house. Next week, he’ll ride it to another Die Grünen event in the east of Munich.
Leaving a lasting impression on people and conveying a positive picture of the Greens and of politics at all – if we manage to do this, says Leander Hirschsteiner, then it was a successful day in the campaign of Die Grünen.
Outro
After the election is before the election
We will find out on September 24th. That is when Germany will elect a new federal government. And the posters and information stands will then disappear from the streets.
Until the next election.
Impressum
Impressum
Jakob Rondthaler, Ute Hamm, Vanessa Klüber, Ula Brunner
Multimedia reporter:
Vanessa Klüber, Mara Nolte
Texts, pictures, videos:
Vanessa Klüber, Mara Nolte, Ula Brunner, Jakob Rondthaler, Ute Hamm
Editors:
Ula Brunner, Ute Hamm, Jakob Rondthaler
Translation:
Paul McCarthy
Production:
redaktion.brunner
© 2017 Goethe Institut
CSU - Plakatieren
A Step by Step Guide to Placarding
Benedikt Weber
Benedikt Weber, 29
And, of course, he is active in the Bundestag election campaign - he not only helps with the pasting of the posters, but also works on the information stands and when the CSU goes canvassing from house to house. This is not only my duty, but also my conviction and “has something to do with support,” says Benedikt Weber who is a friend of the Bundestag candidate, Andreas Lenz.
Well Stocked
Personen Die Linke
Not Afraid of Discussions
Andreas Janning gets into conversation with others and discusses foreign policy, education, high rents and low wages with them. Some even come of their own accord to Ellen Keller’s information stand.
Nicole Gohlke is also running again this year. The campaigners are optimistic. For not only the issues of migration and security are causing people a lot of concern, but also “their” issue, social justice, is dear to many people with whom they have spoken today.
Die SPD will das Eis brechen
Breaking the Ice with the Ice-Cream Bike
Flower Power
It can be seen everywhere: as a logo on their sunshade, on their leaflets, on their info-bike stand – and today they even have fresh, real sunflowers, straight from the field for the election campaign.
She and her campaign team sowed sunflower seeds there in the spring, to be then used as give-aways later during the election campaign – “ecological, organic, clean, home-made”, as she says.
The sunflowers are a hit with the passers-by – by the way, with the men, too!
“Why I am doing this? Actually, I had always talked to friends about it, about changing things to make a difference. But we only talked about it and that really bothered me. I wanted to actively do something."
“And what the SPD stands for fits in best with my own ideas."
“Refugees, for example, are an important issue. Here, too little has been done. There is a lot of money thrown at the problem, but nobody actually pays attention to what it is used for."
Roses for voters
Wähler mit Jute-Beuteln eintüten
Nailing voters with jute bags
Max, born and bred in Spandau, has been a member of the Junge Union since 2013. If it was up to him, he would never leave the outskirts of Berlin at all. Even if he wants to party, he does not go into the “hip” Berlin districts of Kreuzberg or Neukölln, let alone want to live in one of them, “It’s much nicer here amidst all this idyllic greenery.”
Natascha has not set her sights on making a career in politics. “The Junge Union is enough for me at the moment.”
“The truth is, when we lived in the GDR my family went though very difficult times, what with trying to flee and all that went with that. We went though the whole gamut. That is why I know the system and why I do not agree with this drifting to the left at all.”
“I want to be able to express my own opinion without being labelled a Nazi.”
“People are afraid to face up to other arguments. It does not mean that we are always 100% right, but that's why certain things just have to be discussed.”
Berlins's Alexanderplatz – to spy on mobile phonesOn a secret mission
Florence Mahwera erklärt, warum sie die FDP so toll findet.
Benedikt Weber, 29
And, of course, he is active in the Bundestag election campaign – he not only helps with the pasting of the posters, but also works on the information stands and when the CSU goes canvassing from house to house. This is not only my duty, but also my conviction and “has something to do with support,” says Benedikt Weber who is a friend of the Bundestag candidate, Andreas Lenz.