Today is an important day: the Bundestag elections in Germany. I have already been to the polls and – as always – was inspired by the Wahl-O-Mat. But an election decision should not only depend on the party platforms. It’s worth taking a close look at the candidates: How do they speak? What tone of voice do they use? How do they talk about political opponents? What do they think about human rights as the basis of our coexistence?

The candidates at a glance

I watched a few election speeches and have to say: Robert Habeck convinced me the most. He speaks clearly and without hatred, has a well-founded opinion on Europe and Russia and speaks with genuine conviction. Of course he made mistakes – the Heating Act and abrupt funding stops were unfortunate. But compared to other ministers, he was not so easily forgiven for mistakes. There was also a veritable campaign against him, often based on untruths.

However, the Greens would benefit from speaking more clearly on migration issues – and not just Boris Palmer. Taking people’s fears seriously and recognizing that integration has limits is important. Moderate Islam is too quiet, while the extremes dominate the discourse. A clear demarcation is needed here. Nevertheless, I see the Greens as the party that is taking the most socially balanced path.

Surprises with the Wahl-O-Mat

For the first time, the Wahl-O-Mat recommended the SPD ahead of the Greens – a surprise for me. But Olaf Scholz as chancellor? His lack of presence and his strange memory lapses on personal issues are a no-go for me.

A real failure of the Greens in this legislative period was that they did not take advantage of the historic opportunity for more direct democracy. With the SPD and FDP, they had a majority to introduce nationwide referendums or citizens’ councils – something that only the CDU has been blocking for decades. This model works well in Switzerland, and it would have opened up new opportunities for citizen participation for us too.

Your vote counts!

Today will decide who will govern Germany for the next four years. No matter which party or which candidate you prefer (as long as they understand human rights as the basis of our democracy, which makes the AFD, Donald Elon Trump or even the FPÖ unelectable) – use your right to vote! Democracy thrives on participation. So: Go vote!