People of different countries have developed an amazing array of methods for electing and organizing their governments. One of the fun things about having a double life is trying to explain the two systems you know best to people from the other country. On this visit, I got to ask the questions and try to understand the answers. If any part of the following information is inaccurate, I was probably drinking wine when it was explained to me.
I knew there were several major parties in the German federal legislature and that Angela Merkel was Chancellor -- similar to being Prime Minister in other countries.
Angela Merkel Ja
Angela Merkel Nein
There is a president who is, officially, the head of state, but it is the Chancellor who represents Germany abroad. (See how easy this is.) My friends confirmed that the Chancellor is not elected directly. People vote for their legislator. When results are counted, the leader of the party who won the most legislative races becomes the Chancellor. “That’s like the UK.” I said. My German friends pointed out that Germans actually get two votes. They vote once for the legislator they want and a second time for the party they prefer – which may or may not be the party the legislator they just voted for belongs to. (Are you still following?) So, in fact, it is the Party that gains the most votes whose leader becomes Chancellor though they may govern in coalition with one or more other parties. At present Angela Merkel’s Vice Chancellor is the leader of the party that is her biggest opposition. Think Obama as President with McCain as Vice President. Must make for interesting meetings.
A party has to receive a minimum of 5% of the votes cast to be represented in the Bundestag. This keeps the number of parties actually represented small – in the present legislature there are 6.
The Green Party Poster
Of the numerous minor parties running in this election, the one that seems most active is the Pirate Party. The main thing my friends knew about them is that they were against censorship on the internet. Sort of electronic libertarians.
Pirates poster to the left of one for the main right-wing party -- fitting
Thanks to all of this information, I’ll be able to follow the election results with a little more comprehension next week. But my favorite political event of this trip took place as my friend Anne and I were strolling the streets of Bonn, speaking French – which Anne prefers to English. We saw a young black woman in front of a German poster of which the only word I could read was “Obama”. She began to speak to us in approximate French. Anne said that she should speak English; that I’d understand. The slightly confused young woman started her spiel. She was from Zimbabwe and a member of the Worldwide LaRouche Youth Movement. Imagine – an American and a German speaking French in the former German capital are approached by a young woman from Africa speaking earnestly in the name of a rightwing American politician. Politics may be local, but today, they're also international.
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