NationStates Jolt Archive

Right, as some of you may know, German elections are, no might be, up on Sept. 18th... and so I took a look at some of the parties that will be participating. Aside from the usual crackpots, two new ones joined the stage:
The Partei für Arbeit, Rechtsstaat, Tierschutz, Elitenförderung und basisdemokratische Initiative (Die PARTEI), the "Party for Labor, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Elite Promotion and Basis-Democratic Initiative". Founded by... the board of editors of a SATIRICAL MAGAZINE (Titanic)! It's known for its tactless jokes, but this party will actually be on my ballot! These freaks propose building a wall across the former border of the two Germanies in order to separate them.
:headbang:
But the real nutcase party is the Allianz für Gesundheit, Frieden und soziale Gerechtigkeit (AGFG), the "Alliance for Health, Peace, and social Justice." This party was founded by one of those brave doctors fighting the pharmaceutical cartel smear campaigns... by feeding cancer and AIDS patients vitamin pills! I actually saw the commercial for the party that showed the guy walking, with his head romantically held aloof to look into the blue skies of a distant and beautiful future. It cracked me up that he ruined a perfectly good pair of white shoes, because he picked some of the most fun places to take a walk in all of Germany (if you're naked or only wearing a bathing suit): the Wattenmeer (http://www.ferienhaus-liesen.de/fhl/include_web/images/bildergalerie/nordsee_watt_wasser/Watt%20im%20Sonnenschein%202.jpg).
:gundge:

Well it's good to see that American elections don't have a monopoly on stupidity. :D

Well it's good to see that American elections don't have a monopoly on stupidity. :DWell, these aren't major parties and they don't really stand a chance at getting enough votes to make it into parliament... but the Partei shouldn't have made it... I mean there's a party that represents a local ethnic group where I live and they didn't make it... :(

Well, these aren't major parties and they don't really stand a chance at getting enough votes to make it into parliament... but the Partei shouldn't have made it... I mean there's a party that represents a local ethnic group where I live and they didn't make it... :(

Hmmm. I guess in the US we're different in that our crazy parties are the ones with all the power, while many of the minor parties are sensible.

Just don't elect any crazy Austrians (http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/pres-etab/Charlema/Bac9euro/dossier1/images%5Callemagne%5Chitler.jpg) and we'll try not to do the same (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/de/c/c4/Arnold-schwarzenegger.jpg). :eek:

What the...? Are you saying the Deutsche Autofahrerpartei (party of German motorists) is no longer up for election? And what happened to the Partei fuer transzendentale Meditation (party for transcendental meditation)? :D

Well, these aren't major parties and they don't really stand a chance at getting enough votes to make it into parliament... but the Partei shouldn't have made it... I mean there's a party that represents a local ethnic group where I live and they didn't make it... :(

Well, if I remember correctly, a party has to collect a number of supporters (i e their signatures) before being allowed to run in the elections. I'm not really surprised that Titanic got those supporters

What the...? Are you saying the Deutsche Autofahrerpartei (party of German motorists) is no longer up for election? And what happened to the Partei fuer transzendentale Meditation (party for transcendental meditation)? :DI've seen the AP, but they're not new...
But I mean the Titanic founds a friggin party! Those IDIOTS! The only thing I remember about their last public joke was that it wasn't anywhere near funny!

It's great. All you need is a delegation from the UK's Monster Raving Loony party.

It's great. All you need is a delegation from the UK's Monster Raving Loony party.Nah, the Rave Party (or something like that) didn't make it. There's been a tough scramble due to the fact that the elections might come early...

Screaming Lord Such for World President for Life!

Screaming Lord Such for World President for Life!
Don't think we can have a dead President, but it's in keeping with the party policy so yeh, I'm with you.

HAHAHA Those parties are hilarious!
:eek: :mp5:
:cool: :sniper:

US still trumps - the Libertarian National Socialist Green Party (http://www.nazi.org/) is serious.

US still trumps - the Libertarian National Socialist Green Party (http://www.nazi.org/) is serious.We have all sorts of silly parties, but they don't manage to get accepted for the elections!

We have all sorts of silly parties, but they don't manage to get accepted for the elections!
So what do they have to do to get accepted?

Ah the Germans, good people. Good beer... :fluffle:

So what do they have to do to get accepted?Well any party represented in the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) as a party (we have a system with direct mandates, so while the PDS has delegates in the Bundestag, they aren't represented as a party), which requires getting at least 5% of the votes in the last federal election.
Any party that has at least 5 seats in a state parliament.
And the rest need to be chosen by the Bundeswahlausschuss (Federal Election Committee) and need to hand in a number of signatures depending on the state(s) they want to be on the ballots on. The list of how many signatures are needed is available here (http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/bundestagswahl2005/downloads/parteieninfo.pdf) (page 4 out of 5), though it is in German. The applicable numbers are the ones without the 2002.

Ah the Germans, good people. Good beer... :fluffle:Beer: Good. Vitamin pill cancer doctor: Baaaaaad.

Beer: Good. Vitamin pill cancer doctor: Baaaaaad.
I concur. Let's participate in the time honoured tradition of :headbang: in honour of the wonderful medical genius that thries to cure cancer with VitC.

I concur. Let's participate in the time honoured tradition of :headbang: in honour of the wonderful medical genius that thries to cure cancer with VitC.And AIDS. He has a lot of friends in S. Africa that are joining his crusade against the evil medicine that the pharma cartel is wanting to sell them...

hey here we've got stuff to make an hilarious thread!! I'm going on it...

Nah, it doesn't deserve a new thread.

Partido Romántico: [Romantic Party]

They have no electoral programme. When asked why did they concur the the national elections they said "only for the pleasure of doing it".

When asked, their spokesman said: "I don't know why are we competing, but this is quite funny, nice".

Nah, it doesn't deserve a new thread.

Partido Romántico: [Romantic Party]

They have no electoral programme. When asked why did they concur the the national elections they said "only for the pleasure of doing it".

When asked, their spokesman said: "I don't know why are we competing, but this is quite funny, nice".
Why do you think the Partei für... a skip it. The names a JOKE!!!! anyway. Why do you think the Partei is running anyway? It's been founded by a friggin' SATIRE MAGAZINE! This is their idea of some joke and these freaks have done it before! Argh! I used to be able to say how great German politics was compared to the US, but now... (and the LNSG Party doesn't count because the US doesn't have rules on what you need to be a party like Germany does, I don't think).

Another one: for the regional elections in Madrid, some young people created Accion Yuntar [It could be translated as "Glutonize Action"], which programme was to be the voice of the most young people.

After taking 25,000 votes and a seat in the regional congress, the party was dissolved. They explained: "We are a group os political sciences students, and that was our project to pass the year".

And more!!!!

CIUDADANOS EN BLANCO (Blank Citizens)

His only purpose is to make the blank votes to count; this is, if there is a sufficient number of blank votes, leave a proportional number of seats in the congress empty.

BTW, they said: "If we take a seat, we will leave it empty".

How do they expect to propose the law, then??

Well any party represented in the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) as a party (we have a system with direct mandates, so while the PDS has delegates in the Bundestag, they aren't represented as a party), which requires getting at least 5% of the votes in the last federal election.
Any party that has at least 5 seats in a state parliament.
And the rest need to be chosen by the Bundeswahlausschuss (Federal Election Committee) and need to hand in a number of signatures depending on the state(s) they want to be on the ballots on. The list of how many signatures are needed is available here (http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/bundestagswahl2005/downloads/parteieninfo.pdf) (page 4 out of 5), though it is in German. The applicable numbers are the ones without the 2002.
So is it not the case as in the UK that anyone can stand for election, you just pay a deposite and if you get enough votes it is returned, if not you lose the deposite? So anyone can become an MP in the UK.

Why do you think the Partei für... a skip it. The names a JOKE!!!! anyway. Why do you think the Partei is running anyway? It's been founded by a friggin' SATIRE MAGAZINE! This is their idea of some joke and these freaks have done it before! Argh! I used to be able to say how great German politics was compared to the US, but now... (and the LNSG Party doesn't count because the US doesn't have rules on what you need to be a party like Germany does, I don't think).

I kind of like it. It's absurd, but I like it.
Years ago in my home town, a couple of comedians ran for mayor. They had a great party program: banning of floods and inundations, moving the newly built town hall 10 cm to the left for esthetical reasons, roofing the bicycle lane between Bamberg and Retwitz....

So what do they have to do to get accepted?

In the US?
I'm only going on the federal level here. But there is a catch-22 there. You need to be in congress & senate to have a chance of being voted back into them. That is basically how the election laws have been rewritten to (not to mention the redistricting that ensures that no 3rd parties will ever get enough votes to threaten the current parties).

Up here in Norway, we've got a party called "Utepilsens Venner"(Friends of Having A Beer Out On The Town). They have yet to reach the national assembly.

In the US?
I'm only going on the federal level here. But there is a catch-22 there. You need to be in congress & senate to have a chance of being voted back into them. That is basically how the election laws have been rewritten to (not to mention the redistricting that ensures that no 3rd parties will ever get enough votes to threaten the current parties).
So in the US could you stand for election as an indipendant, with no political history or experience? If not what kind of democracy is that?

I kind of like it. It's absurd, but I like it.
Years ago in my home town, a couple of comedians ran for mayor. They had a great party program: banning of floods and inundations, moving the newly built town hall 10 cm to the left for esthetical reasons, roofing the bicycle lane between Bamberg and Retwitz....Building a wall to separate the West from the "Sonderbewirtschaftungszone" to the East? Not my idea of funny...

Building a wall to separate the West from the "Sonderbewirtschaftungszone" to the East? Not my idea of funny...

Oh, come ON! I lived in the West and in the East, and I heard that joke on both sides of the former border....

Oh, come ON! I lived in the West and in the East, and I heard that joke on both sides of the former border....I don't like the Titanic. They pull off stuff in places that it doesn't belong.

I don't like the Titanic. They pull off stuff in places that it doesn't belong.

Ah, now we're getting there. So you object to the general attitude of that magazine, not to their idea of highlighting the absurdities of political processes?