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fromJens Joachim
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Dissatisfaction with the policies of the coalition of the Greens and CDU, which has been in power since 2011 in Darmstadt, has led to the formation of voter communities. Before the local elections on March 14th, there will be an argument about mobility, more living space and ecology
Get the Greens in Darmstadt the triple? Can the now existing for two election periods Coalition of the Greens and the CDU even after the Local election continue to rule? Or will a new, colorful political alliance be formed in the city?
After the election victories in 2011 and 2016, the Darmstadt Greens are now aiming for the third time in a row on March 14th to become the strongest political force in the city of science. Ten years ago there was talk of a miracle when the party was able to more than double its 2006 election results. Around a third of the voters gave the Greens their vote, making the party the strongest political force in the country for the first time City Parliament has been.
Darmstadt: The coalition of the Greens and the CDU has existed since 2011
Two weeks later, the green mayoral candidate Jochen Partsch clearly defeated incumbent Walter Hoffmann (SPD) in the runoff election, so that after 66 years the end of SPD rule in Darmstadt’s town hall was sealed. The first one subsequently agreed with the CDU green-black coalition in a major Hessian city meant a local political turning point.
After Local election then five years ago there was a new edition of Green-black, even if this constellation did not initially have its own majority of votes. With the parliamentary group Uffbasse became a Cooperation agreement closed.
Local politics in Darmstadt: Pirate as a guest of the Greens
But with the voice of the only city councilor Pirate partywho join the ranks of the Greens Group incorporated and after the return of the Uffbasse– City councilor Jürgen Barth to the Greens, the green-black coalition recently had its own narrow majority of 36 votes. The cooperation with the parliamentary group Uffbasse but was continued.
The Christian Democrats, who got the most votes in local elections in 2001 and 2006, have added themselves to the in recent years Role of junior partner. This led to Partsch being re-elected as mayor in the first ballot in 2017 because the CDU had not set up an opposing candidate.
Local elections in Darmstadt: Transport and ecology are top issues
The topics mobility and traffic and associated with it Climate, nature and environmental protection are in Darmstadt the top topics before the election. Although a number of candidates can be demonstrated in the election brochure with bicycles and bicycle helmets, there are in the ranks of CDU but increasingly to hear voices from the camp of self-confessed car and motorcycle fans, for whom the establishment of permanent or short-term cycle paths in the city at the expense of motorized four-wheelers and two-wheelers is going too far. The CDU also wants the feasibility for building one Bypass road to the east have it checked by Darmstadt.
However, the slogans on the front pages of the election brochures sound different only in nuances CDU and Greens. While the CDU with the triad “Solid. For sure. They want to “shape” the city together to be future-proof ” Greens with the words “future. Together. Design ”for an“ ecological, solidary and modern ”policy in Darmstadt.
Headwind for green-black before local elections in Darmstadt
For several months there has been for both of them Coalition parties and especially for the Greens political headwind. The displeasure with the green-black politics has established the Voting Community Darmstadt and the Free voter guided. Both lists represent in particular for the Greens a competition.
The candidates on the two lists are involved in several Citizens’ initiativeswho oppose the development of the Bürgerpark and the construction of a second discounter in the district Arheilgen or use for the preservation of the Darmstadt West Forest. The Voter communities call for more intensive citizen participation, especially in construction projects, more moderate densification in the city quarters and a more ecological economic policy in the city.
Before the local elections: Darmstadt is growing and affordable apartments are rare
In the past 15 years Darmstadt increased by more than 20,000 inhabitants. More than 160,000 people now live in the city. The result of the years Population growth are difficulties in finding affordable housing. Living is in Darmstadt more and more expensive, and it is hardly possible for families, for example, to buy their own property given the high land prices.
Also the traffic steadily increasing. While the CDU on the subject mobility promotes an “ideology-free political approach” and promotes “equal cooperation” between cars, bicycles, pedestrians, public transport and new mobility offers, the SPD calls for a “Mobility“And – like the Greens – the priority expansion of the tram, bus and cycle path network. The Greens say, for example, that the limited street space must be “distributed more fairly”. Specifically, this means that cycling, walking and local public transport require “significantly more space” than before.
Because there is no five percent hurdle in the local elections on March 14, the new one is likely City Council politically more colorful than the previous one. At the same time, it could become more difficult to form a stable majority with several political groups.
116,000 eligible voters can choose between 14 lists in Darmstadt
To Local election in Darmstadt are around 116,000 Eligible voters authorized. Of these, more than 10,000 are EU foreigners who are eligible to vote.
The number of people to choose from Parties, Voter communities and Listen has increased from ten to 14 in the 2016 local elections.
Local election in Darmstadt: 485 candidates stand
Overall turn up 485 applicants for optional. Every eligible voter can – depending on the number of seats in the city council – 71 votes forgive.
As they did five years ago, they will also vote on March 14th CDU, Green, SPD, AfD, FDP, The left, the Independent Free Citizens Group – Upright, Spontaneous, Subcultural, Stubborn (Uffbasse), the Independent Voters’ Association (Learner), the party for labor, rule of law, animal welfare, elite support and grassroots initiative (The party) an.
Pirates are running for Greens and Uwiga – four new lists
The Pirate party does not run again. Claudia Stricker, the only city councilor of the pirates so far, is running on the list of the Greens and the former city councilor Roland Cuny on the Learner-Listing.
The new ones are Voting Community Darmstadt (WGD), the Free voter (FW) als List of Alliance of the Darmstadt Citizens’ Initiative, the List of participation in Darmstadt and Volt Germany.
Municipal elections in Darmstadt: The top candidates
Paul Georg Wandrey (CDU), Hildegard Förster-Heldmann (Green), Huß Team (SPD), Günter Zabel (AfD), Leif Blum (FDP), Karl-Heinz Böck (left), Kerstin Lau (Uffbasse), Erich Bauer (Learner), Falk Neumann (WGD), Harald Uhl (FW), Dorothea Mondry (Participation), Nicolas Kämmerer (Volt) and Holger Eisenblätter (The party).
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