Democracy: Habeck sees the 2024 election year as particularly important

Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck considers the 2024 election year to be particularly important for the future of democracy. “The decision that this year will bring is bigger than the election results of a party,” said the Green politician at his party’s election campaign event for the partial repeat of the federal election in Berlin on Sunday.

“It is the decision to succeed in putting right-wing radicalism and fascism in Germany in its place.” It is therefore important to go to the polls and vote for democratic parties. The right-wing radicals are fully mobilized and now it is important to ignite a democratic counter-movement.

According to a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court, the 2021 federal election, which was marred by glitches in the capital, must be repeated in 455 of 2,256 Berlin electoral districts and the associated postal voting districts. This Sunday (February 11th), around 550,000 Berliners are called to vote again – around a fifth of all those regularly eligible to vote in the capital. A change in the majority in the Bundestag is not expected. However, smaller shifts are possible. The European elections will take place on June 9th, followed by three state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg in September.

Habeck paid tribute to the countless people who have mobilized against right-wing extremism and for democracy in very large and small demonstrations all over the country in recent weeks. Many people believed that one could counteract anger, hatred, exclusion and the destructive: “Namely the pride and the sense of community, living in a time where you can achieve something positive, where you can create things. Where you turn against it, that people are excluded,” said Habeck. “We see that on the street. And that is the actual election mandate for the election year 2024 and also for February 11th.”