This Sunday, Hessen (I refuse to write up Hesse) is holding regional elections and it looks like the ever-smiling Andrea Ypsilanti from SPD will get most of the votes. This is kind of a surprise, as Roland Koch, a member of the CDU old guard, has been ruling this state since 1999 with absolute majority.
Most of Frankfurt is covered with political ads on walls, streetlamps and other urban furniture. I've been trying to set up a map in my head to know who aims for what district, but I couldn't. All I know is that there are many ads from Die Linke (The Left) on my way to work, and they have even left some leaflets in my mailbox. I've seen more from Die Grünen (the green party) as I approached the river, and right-wing parties such as NPD or Die Republikaner seem to concentrate in the Eastern part of Frankfurt...
On the contrary, posters from CDU and SPD seem to be everywhere. I find the campaign from SPD rather dumm, but it looks like it's been effective anyway. It's basically about stating the bad things Koch wants to do (He: calls for extremely low salaries) and then how wonderful and refreshing are Ypsilanti's plans for Hessen in comparison to him (She: fights for minimum salary). On the other hand, Koch's advertisements center on his experience and figure, trying to give an impression of strength (what Ypsilanti seems to lack).
It's surprising for me to see that all parties and candidates seem to be very ideology-conscious and aren't afraid of showing off the ideas that inspire them. For instance, Koch is willing to present himself as a conservative. Even though the things he's said about foreigners and immigrants weren't the most intelligent option in a city where 30% of the population comes from a different culture, he doesn't try to sweeten or hide his discourse and is willing to act on it. The same happens with Die Linke. I read their leaflets and their program and it was like I was teleported to the 60's. All parties have got one or two issues they want to clearly state their opinion about (the building of the new airport, the change in educational laws, etc.), but apart from this the debate seems to be very abstract and ideological.
As a Spaniard, I'm not able to vote in this elections, but I think I'll be able to choose my representatives for the city council in the future. I'm now an official resident in Frankfurt to both the German and the Spanish Administration. It feels sort of weird, like I've abandoned my beautiful Madrid for a new home (which I've done). It's like a step in the middle -- I'm not a German, yet I'm not fully Spanish anymore...
The documentation for sending out my vote for the Spanish general elections should be arriving to my house in short, yet I have the impression that some problem is going to occur. Call me pessimistic. However, I'm very confused and I don't really trust any of our options. I still have to think carefully who I'm going to put my "trust" in, as I really believe it's my duty to vote, but it won't be like the first or the second time, where I was full of energy and hope and utterly convinced that the right Had To Be Stopped. However, I wouldn't know who to vote for in Hessen, either...
Posted by Elenis at January 25, 2008 9:20 AMYo también considero que hay que ir a votar. El criterio que sigo es votar útil, es decir, a un partido que saque escaños. Para dar testimonio hay muchas manis, concentraciones, actos, etc en los que se puede estar. Y con mi voto útil, sigo esta regla, si IU hace crítica constructiva al PSOE, se llevan mi voto. Si IU hace pinza con la derecha, entonces se lo doy al PSOE.
Y qué bien lo de Hessen !!!
Posted by: alcibiades at January 30, 2008 12:04 AM