So, the stir in Europe, which has been noticed in the period from April to September, can clearly be felt to be calming down. That stir was connected to the election race in Germany. The elections have passed, the new cabinet has been elected and the new Bundestag convocation has started its work. I do not want to discuss the theme on who is better – Merkel or Steinbrück. I want to discuss the theme on how openly and transparently the elections in Germany were held. I happened to run in the internet into a certain centre named “The Centre for research on Germany and Europe”.
One of the ladies, a Madame Belokurova, obviously working out received German, wrote in her blog: “German political scientists speak a lot that voting for CDU andMerkel in particular reflects relatively good economic position of the society and the voters. I think, however, that the reasons do not just lie here, but also in how skillfully she and her party reflect today the attitudes and the themes urgent among the society…” It is an interesting thought.
Here is another side’s opinion: “The elections to the German parliament were held with numerous violations, in accordance to the opinion of German human rights activists. As of today, there is no election law in force in Germany. Federal channels held debates. In Russia and Azerbaijan representatives of the presidential candidates, party representatives, even of those parties not represented in the parliament have the right to debate. In Germany only two candidates from the two leading parties debated, and the country’s Constitutional Court upheld this position. Human rights activists consider that this is unconstitutional, that it violates the freedom of choice. The voters are deprived of an opportunity to have a wide range of choice.” One cannot disagree with that.
As for Madame “agent of German influence” Belokurova, she writes further: “Finally, the last thought about Angela Merkel personally. Our foreign observers from all over the world, opposition politicians and numerous critics were actively saying that she lacked a “vision” for Germany, mega narrative for Europe and grand slogans. I think that today, at a moment when Germany’s role in Europe and the world is strengthening, many people expect that from her personally and her party as a whole. It made me only happy to see that she did not go for any provocation, did not aspire to any “mega idea”, but simply focused in her work on the well-being of the people. Moreover, not just in speech, but also in actual policies. I think this is much more attractive and important in the modern world than any mega guidelines or national ideas, especially ones unilaterally proclaimed by a state leader, no matter what he or she is personally.”
This ode of praise for the German Chancellor deserves respect and, quite naturally, just another pouring of money into “The Centre for research on Germany and Europe”.
As for the German human rights activists, they write further: “Yet another flagrant case was the loss of more than 100 thousand votes in Hamburg, one of the biggest city agglomerations in Germany. More than 300 thousand people were supposed to receive absentee ballots by mail, from which 100 thousand simply did not come – these people did not receive them. After the public outcry, 70 thousand were found, but only after the election. Statement of the German authorities that a loss of 500-700 votes cannot affect an election could have been understood, but a loss of 30, 40, 100 thousand votes can strongly affect the outcome.” And all this happening in a “democratic country”?! I decided to contact one of Germany’s human rights activists Dmitrij Adamow and find out his opinion.
“I cannot name one country in the world, where a presidential, prime-ministerial or parliamentary election was held 100 percent transparent. There are violations everywhere and Germany is not an exception. As for Madame Belokurova’s praising opinion, think yourselves – “The Centre for research on Germany and Europe”. The name speaks for itself. When is it, that Germany has become separated from Europe? Here one can clearly feel an established tendency to emphasize those who pay the bill, i.e. it is a kind of advertising. In this case advertising Germany. And it is known that money is paid for advertising, and considerable money too. In Russia it has long been accepted that everything Russian, goods, laws and presidents, are all very bad, whereas European (Germany and Britain) and American is excellent! Who pays for advertising orders the required content of that very advertising.” That is the opinion of human rights activist Adamow.
Sergey Mikhaylov
