The Election in Germany (for 4th Graders)

Freebies from info stands of various German political parties, including a surprise from Die Linke:
"We leave no one hanging."

Language barrier aside, politics is hard enough to understand. But even so, it's been all around me, as Germany has been abuzz with talk about the general election, which takes place in less than 24 hours.

Here's the thing about learning a foreign language. When the only spoken and heard words you have at your disposal are in that language, you supplement communication with body language, stick figure drawings, and sound effects. It's a lot like playing Charades. Or Taboo, except that you don't even know what the taboo words on the card mean so it doesn't make any difference, and you end up giving a description that sounds like: "the thing that's on the thing you put your head on when you sleep" (pillow case).

In other words, my German is at about the level of a 4th grader.

In the case of the election, I've been collecting photographs of campaign posters. Suddenly and simultaneously, starting about a month ago, a whole legion of them sprang up -- on telephone poles and on trees, on the walls of subway stations, and on brochures left in neighborhood doorways. But it ought to be said that political campaigning in Germany is strictly regulated. The word that comes to mind is "kontrolliert," an adjective meaning "checked, policed, or controlled."

It only took a couple weeks in Germany to notice that I was hearing this word -- a lot. And as a native English speaker, it sounds as if everything is being controlled, wherein "control" has a negative connotation, so I often have to remind myself otherwise.

Many things are "kontrolliert": the quality of tap water, that pedestrians/cyclists/motorists don't cross red lights (even as a jaywalking pedestrian you can get a ticket), and so on.

The guys going around the buses and subways, checking (sometimes undercover, in plain clothes) passengers for tickets, are known as the "Kontroller." (It's a sort of honor system to use the public transportation system. There's no such thing as running a ticket through a turnstile, which honestly saves quite a bit of time, but if you're caught "schwarz fahren," which literally means "black traveling," that is, without a valid ticket, you can be fined €40.)

The politically-focused section you skip if you're already getting bored

Before we go on to the campaign posters, a little background on the parties themselves:

Unlike in the US, where we have only two main political parties, the Germans have a multi-party system, in which a coalition of parties must form in their parliament in order to form a ruling majority. The usual suspects are:

1. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU): the party of current Chancellor Angela Merkel. Among their goals are fiscal conservatism and tax cuts. (More similar to the American Republicans than Democrats.) The CSU exists only in Bavaria, the "special" Bundesland (or province) in southeastern Germany. They always ally themselves with the CDU, which does not exist in Bavaria.
2. The Social Democratic Party (SPD): the main opposition party, more focused on social justice. (More similar to the American Democrats.)
3. Die Grünen, or the Greens, who originally started as a party with its primary focus on protecting the environment and developing sustainable energy. In the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, this election they also want the state to take over the energy grid.
4. Die Linke, or the Left, wants, for example, a nation-wide standardized minimum wage, which does not currently exist. Some trade unions regulate self-determined minimum wages within their respective fields.
5. The Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is "liberal" in an unexpected way for Americans. They are liberal because they rally for a freer (a.k.a. less state-controlled) market. They also support major businesses, something an American would associate with the Republicans.

Last Sunday in the Bavarian provincial election, both the Greens and the FDP made poor showings. (In fact, the FDP won zero seats in the provincial parliament.) Though that only affected the local government, some are saying it also indicates waning support for those parties in the region. If in the national election tomorrow they fail to garner sufficient votes (at least 5%), the resulting coalition in the Bundestag may be different from what it is today -- the CDU/CSU + FDP.

Supposing that the CDU/CSU maintains its position with leading votes but the FDP - its current coalition colleague - doesn't earn enough to give the CDU/CSU a house majority, the CDU/CSU will have to find itself a new partner. In recent history, the party with the next most votes and least estranged political platform, aside from the FDP, is the SPD. It is thus possible to imagine that the new Bundestag will be ruled by a Grand Coalition of the CDU/CSU and SPD.

But wait. Did anybody catch the debate between CDU and SPD leaders Merkel and Steinbrück? Did anybody hear them swearing up and down that they would never work with the other? Should there be such a grand coalition, it should prove very interesting to see the politicians backtrack.

Why you should really read this post

While the bigger parties continue to fight, let's not forget the little guys. Germany has more than 30 registered political parties. And, for your enjoyment, here's a 4th-grade-friendly collection of photographic propaganda, featuring some of the more eyebrow-raising little guys. (The big guys have pretty hum-drum slogans, like, "So that Germany stays strong." Uh huh.)

1. Die Partei

"Protesters" march just outside the Hamburg Central Station, carrying posters with slogans such as, "Overcome contents!"

In Hamburg I witnessed a "party bus" (ha, get it?) just outside the central station. A hodgepodge group had gathered around a bus blasting pop hits, carrying bottles of beer and homemade posters. Of these, it was obvious they'd been made from the posters of other parties, cut in half, flipped around, and then Sharpied with their own slogans, such as, "Enough is enough" or "More of everything." Many Germans are baffled by their existence, not knowing what exactly their aim is. But that's probably the point. At the very least, they are amusing in their satirical approach to campaigning.

A "Partei" member offers a patrol officer a beer.

"Bring the Wall back - Out with Merkel!
Wall in Merkel!"

2. BIG

Another peculiar party that has caught my attention is the Bündnis für Innovation und Gerechtigkeit (BIG), or, the Alliance for Innovation and Justice. Ironically enough, the BIG Partei isn't big at all, in terms of party members. As far as I can tell, their platform includes advocacy for diversity and anti-adoption by gay parents (possibly opposing aims...).

"Every child has the right to a father and mother."

3. Die Piraten

Lastly, as a send-off, one last poster from the Pirates, a party focused on Internet freedom and transparency in the government:

"I'm against corruption, and you?"

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Disclaimer: I am not a political scientist or expert of, well, anything. So please excuse any possible inaccuracies. Thanks.