Germany: Paper questions punctuate election date debate

Germany's top election officials at both federal and state levels were due to meet on Monday to discuss how to prepare for snap elections, which will be the likely outcome of an upcoming parliamentary vote of confidence on Chancellor Olaf Scholz's minority coalition. 

However, following the collapse of Scholz's coalition comprising the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens last week, it remains unclear when the parliamentary vote will take place.

Initially, Chancellor Olaf Scholz indicated that he wanted to call a confidence vote in Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, on January 15. 

However, following an outcry from the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), Scholz said he would be open to having the Bundestag debate "before Christmas."

Despite this, a CDU lawmaker spoke to German tabloid Bild on Monday morning, accusing Scholz's government of dragging out talks in order to postpone setting a date for the confidence motion.

"Scholz should stop blowing smoke," Thorsten Frei, a member of the CDU's leadership team in parliament, told the newspaper, adding that "no more dicussions are necessary."

Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck was also scheduled to hold closed-door talks with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday, reportedly to seek advice on how to handle next steps.

Election officials warn against voting too soon

Germany's top national election official, Federal Returning Officer Ruth Brand, penned a letter to Chancellor Scholz warning of "unforeseeable risks" and logistical issues should the vote be held in January.

She added that she intends to fully utilize the 60-day period set down in the constitution between the dissolution of parliament and the new election "to ensure that all necessary measures can be taken legally and on time."

Accused by CDU parliamentary chair Jens Spahn of having a political motive to postpone the election, Brand responded on social media site X that she had "naturally begun preparations for a possible new election in order to tackle the challenges posed by the shortened deadlines together with all stakeholders."

Brand was not the only one sounding the alarm on the risks of trying to organize an election too quickly.

Stephan Bröchler, the top election official for the state of Berlin, told German news agency DPA that  "If we want to maintain the high quality standards that we have at both federal and state levels, I advise against an election date in January."

"It is about ensuring the quality of democratic elections in Germany. This is a highly valued asset, and I do not wish for the election to have to be repeated in the end," he added.

This issue is a sore topic in Berlin specifically, given that the city-state had to rerun the 2021 federal election in several of its voting districts  following reports of myriad irregularities.

Timing of election tests German ballot printers 

Bastian Bleeck, who runs Germany's largest ballot printer, "Köllen Druck und Verlag," told the Stern news magazine on Monday that holding a snap election in January could pose logistical issues.

"With a lot of bending and breaking, we could do it," Bleeck told the magazine. 

He added that the issue wasn't paper supplies, which have long been reserved, but rather that the short deadlines would allow for errors like misspellings of candidates and parties. Although these kinds of errors are rare, the short election deadline also allows little time for corrections. 

The ballots would also have to be printed in advance of a January election, and the holiday season would complicate and delay deliveries. 

However, an umbrella organization for Germany's printing companies, BVDM, dismissed election official's concerns on election timing affecting the printing and delivery of ballots. 

"In order to divert attention from its own organizational and administrative problems, the Federal Returning Officer [Brand] is passing the buck to the paper and printing industry," said Kirsten Hommelhoff, Managing Director of BVDM.

"This damages the reputation of our industry and is unacceptable."

"If orders are placed promptly, print shops can produce the ballot papers for an early general election," Hommelhoff asserted. 

The German print and media industry is "reliable" and also "extremely efficient in the short term," she said.

es/wmr (AFP, dpa)