prevent disruptive actions
Over a thousand police officers move out to the elections in Berlin
2/12/2023 1:57 p.m
A good 16 months after the breakdown in the Berlin House of Representatives elections, around 2.4 million Berliners are called upon to vote again. To ensure that everything runs smoothly this time, the police are on site with more than a thousand additional forces. Not just for protection.
According to the Berlin police, the repeat election to the House of Representatives is secured with up to 1,700 emergency services. The police officers were also on the road throughout the city until around 9 p.m., said a spokeswoman for the authorities. It is about protecting the more than 2,200 polling stations, the House of Representatives and government buildings. “The aim is to ensure that the elections run smoothly,” said the spokeswoman.
A “special organizational structure” was set up for election Sunday in order to be able to cope with the additional deployment of personnel. For example, no larger rallies would be permitted in front of polling stations because this would impede access. It is also important to prevent disruptive actions. So far, however, the police have had no indication that the election should be hindered by actions.
The police are also in close contact with the state election commission. If there were bottlenecks in the polling stations, the police would provide support – for example with the transport of additional polling booths or ballot boxes.
Election researcher Faas: “Take it easy”
However, the election researcher Thorsten Faas warns against a hasty assessment of complications in the repeat election to the Berlin House of Representatives. “Small advance warning. Every minimal complication will probably be reported in detail today and possibly also scandalized. Take it easy,” wrote Faas on Twitter.
He assumes that Berliners will be very sensitive to minor anomalies on election Sunday, he said. That is also correct. “Every mistake should be taken seriously. It’s not about turning a blind eye.” However, it is important to wait and see how things develop overall and then to assess the situation, emphasized Faas.
Low voter turnout expected
A good 16 months after the election to the Berlin House of Representatives, which was characterized by breakdowns and organizational problems, around 2.4 million Berliners are called upon to re-elect their state parliament. The elections for the twelve district assemblies will also take place again: 2.7 million eligible voters can cast their votes, including 16 and 17-year-old Germans and foreign EU citizens living in Berlin from the age of 16. Polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
According to surveys, the CDU is up to 25 percent ahead of the SPD of Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (21 percent) and the Greens (18 percent). The federal capital is currently governed by a coalition of SPD, Greens and Left. Even if the CDU were to become the strongest force, it would be uncertain whether it would find a coalition partner. However, the big unknown in the re-election is participation. It is expected to be very low after 75.4 percent on September 26, 2021, when the state elections coincided with the federal elections.