High-speed Election Campaign Gets Going

Bernd Heusinger managed just four hours of sleep Thursday night after German President Horst Köhler gave the go-ahead for the dissolution of the parliament paving the way for early federal elections in September.

In fact, Heusinger who's organizing the election campaign for the Green party, the junior coalition partner in the current government, has had to do make do with very little shuteye ever since Chancellor Gerhard Schröder made the shock announcement -- on the evening of May 22 after a humiliating defeat for his Social Democratic Party (SPD) in its traditional stronghold state of NorthRhine-Westphalia -- that he would seek a new mandate from the people a year earlier than scheduled.

Heusinger's advertising agency "Zum Goldenen Hirsch" has been in overdrive ever since. Whereas Heusinger had over a year to organize the Greens' election campaign the last time, this time round he only has about four weeks.

Though the advertising expert admits that everything will be toned down a bit this time with six rather than 12 campaign posters and other paraphernalia, he says the work won't be any easier. "When compared to the last one in 2002, this election campaign is going to be at least as stressful," Heusinger said.

More emphasis on content

Equally stressful maybe, but, according to experts, the campaign could turn out to be quite different in some aspects.

"Precisely because of the short preparatory time, election advertising will this time play a much lesser role than usual," said Wolfgang Donsbach, a Dresden-based communication expert. "This campaign will be more about content and that's why it's likely to be more exciting than previous ones."

Unsurprisingly, experts say the key tussle between the campaigning parties is likely to be about labor and a fair reform of the social system. But, though the conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU) -- largely expected to win the election -- is expected to do everything it can to paint Chancellor Schröder's SPD as a job-killer, experts warn that it doesn't automatically mean that the CDU can pick up votes on the basis of this issue.

"The CDU has to gradually reveal what it actually wants in concrete terms," said Donsbach. The party's new platform may make things a bit clearer, but it's not enough, according to him.

The veteran CDU campaign manager and former senator for science in Berlin, Peter Radunksi (photo) however sees things differently. "When it comes to managing economic issues, the CDU leads the way in voters' minds and that's not going to change in the coming weeks," Radunksi said. "Frankly, between you and me, I wouldn't want to be campaign manager for the SPD this time, not for a million dollars."

The new left is more of a threat

The sentiment is understandable. Considering that the SPD voluntarily gave up power, it's a bit difficult to grasp how the party could still legitimately urge people to vote for it. "We're in a unique moment in time right now," said Radunksi. "The SPD is leading an opposition election campaign and the CDU, as the real opposition, is almost presenting itself as a governing party."

Fittingly, the SPD, according to experts, has named its combative yet vague platform an "election manifesto" -- something that really doesn't sound like an invitation to further governance, according to communication expert Donsbach.

At the same time, experts warn that it would be rash to assume that the CDU has almost won the elections. That's because though the SPD may not prove much of a threat, a political grouping from a newly formed alliance of left-wing parties has many worried in the CDU. The Left Party, comprising the ex-communist Party of Democratic Socialism which has joined forces with a breakaway leftist grouping led by former SPD chairman Oskar Lafontaine (photo), now has the support of 12 percent of voters.

The new grouping -- if it did manage to get into parliament -- wouldn't just cost the CDU a possible absolute majority, but could also actually rob it off votes. "The CDU can traditionally fish for votes on the right-wing fringe," said Donsbach. "But it's precisely these extremist voters who could defect to the new political left simply because they're the loudest voice against everything."

SPD has work cut out

The SPD however seems relatively unconcerned about the new left. "In my constituency, I still haven't come across a single politician from the new left," said Katja Mast, who is a direct candidate for the SPD in Pforzheim-Enz in the heart of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Mast added that the people there at the grassroots weren't complaining at all ever since Chancellor Schröder announced he would voluntarily renounce power. "Naturally, there was a moment of shock. But now people are saying, 'let's do it this time.'"

But, since Baden-Württemberg will enjoy holidays until a week before the planned federal elections on Sept. 18, Katja Mast is likely to have quite an unusual election campaign -- no huge events, rather just hard back-breaking work in an effort to reach potential voters.

"We'll go to the swimming pools, to street festivals and beach volleyball tournaments and really talk to the people," Mast said. She underlined that this time the emphasis would on putting forward the right arguments. "Once you discuss with the people then you quickly realize that they don't really know what to expect from the CDU."

Small parties not exactly ecstatic

The big parties may be raring to fight it out at the polls, but it isn't necessarily the same with the smaller ones. In particular, the Green party didn't really want new elections -- quite apart from the fact that they weren't even asked about it.

And to add to the woes of the Green party, the CDU is now hitting the campaign trail with a woman at the forefront while the Liberal Democrats (FDP), their likely coalition partner, have a homosexual man as a leader. The Greens' macho man Joschka Fischer is once again expected to lead the party to increase its share of the vote.

"That shows very clearly that without the Greens, the opposition wouldn't be where it is today," said advertising guru Heusinger in a defense of his employer.

But, convincing electoral arguments probably sound different.