Analysis of the 2025 federal election
Discussion Discussion with Horst Kahrs
The federal election has resulted in significant shifts in the party landscape. We would like to take a closer look at the election results with you, examining voter migration, mobilization factors, and potential underlying societal conflict lines: Which topics were the Left able to use to convince voters and achieve a surprisingly strong result for many? What are the reasons for the SPD’s debacle, and which parties did SPD voters migrate to? Why did the Union achieve the second-worst result in its history despite winning the election? Who were the Greens able to convince? And why did more than one in five voters choose the AfD, and how is their voter base composed? Where did the nearly 5 percent of the BSW come from? What differences also emerge in voting behavior between generations and genders, as well as between urban-rural and East-West divides?
And how did trade union members, employees, and workers vote?
We wish to analyze and discuss these and other questions together with you and our speaker Horst Kahrs, and take a look at the future power dynamics in the Bundestag and their implications for the work of trade unions.
To familiarize yourself with the topic, we recommend Horst Kahrs' analysis of the election at: www.horstkahrs.de
Horst Kahrs ist Sozialwissenschaftler und arbeitet zu den Themen Klassen und Sozialstruktur, Demokratie und Wahlen. Er war am Institut für Gesellschaftsanalyse der Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung beschäftigt und analysiert weiterhin die politischen Entwicklungen in Deutschland.
The event takes place in cooperation with the Forum Neue Politik der Arbeit and the Kooperationsstelle Wissenschaft und Arbeitswelt of the TU Berlin.
Due to the BVG strike in Berlin, the event will not take place as planned in presence but as an online event!
Statement on the minor inquiry of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group on the “Political neutrality of state-funded organizations”
On February 24, 2025 – one day after the federal election – the CDU/CSU parliamentary group submitted a Small Inquiry (BT-Drs. 20/15035) to the acting federal government, consisting of a total of 551 individual questions. In this inquiry, they request detailed information and evaluations regarding the work of 17 civil society organizations. A large portion of the questions pertain to whether these organizations, as recipients of state funding, have engaged in party-political activities.
This parliamentary process is a cause for concern for us and our members, who see themselves as an essential part of democratic civil society and who support some of the listed organizations. Therefore, we would like to reaffirm today our position towards the upcoming German Bundestag and a future federal government, as already expressed in our
Position Paper on the 2025 Federal Election and in a joint statement with other umbrella organizations, titled
"No Democracy Without a Strong Civil Society!" :
1. Secure opportunities for self-organized, sometimes uncomfortable civil society engagement, whose goals do not necessarily align with those of political parties and other political interests, are essential for our democracy. We therefore continue to advocate emphatically for the political freedom of opinion and action for nonprofit organizations within the scope of their objectives.
2. For good reason, nonprofit organizations – according to the current legal understanding in the Federal Republic of Germany – are permitted to engage in political activities to fulfill their statutory purposes and, in exceptional cases, even beyond them. The principle of political neutrality must be upheld, but it should not be misinterpreted as a requirement for political restraint.
3. The historically developed value of this legal framework for a pluralistic civil society that shapes political opinion formation must be fundamentally recognized. Current developments in the USA or the situation in Hungary starkly illustrate how the depoliticization of civil society goes hand in hand with the erosion of democratic rule of law. The EU Commission’s rule of law reports emphasize the importance of a political civil society for Europe’s legal architecture and have long criticized the reservations in Germany regarding this matter.
4. As the representative body of the German foundation sector and a member of the coordinating group of the Alliance for Nonprofit Work, we reaffirm our offer for dialogue with the newly constituted CDU/CSU parliamentary group and the future federal government. Our goal is to engage in a differentiated exchange that appropriately reflects the significance and role of civil society in its full scope. Of course, in accordance with our
"Principles of Good Foundation Practice" , we remain open to (self-)critical discussions on issues of governance and transparency in the work of foundations and nonprofit institutions.
After the end of a polarizing election campaign, we call on all democratic parties to return to a fact-based, respectful approach to civil society organizations, even when their voices may be uncomfortable at times. Only through solidarity can we address our country’s pressing future challenges. The voluntary engagement of nearly 30 million citizens is indispensable for this.
About the Federal Association
The Federal Association of German Foundations represents the interests of German foundations in relation to politics and society. With more than 4,300 members, it is the largest and oldest foundation association in Europe. Through foundation administrations, around 9,800 foundations are affiliated with it. The Federal Association advocates for optimal framework conditions for foundations and their activities and supports its members as well as donors, particularly through consulting and networking.
The Federal Association of German Foundations is registered in the lobby register for representation of interests before the German Bundestag and the federal government. It exercises its advocacy activities in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Interest Representatives under the Lobby Register Act.
Call for demonstrations for the legalisation of abortion in Berlin and Karlsruhe!
On 07.12.2024, demonstrations for the legalisation of abortion will take place in Berlin and Karlsruhe. These will start in parallel at 13:00 at Alexanderplatz in Berlin and Kronenplatz in Karlsruhe with speeches, live musical acts and information stands. More than 100 associations, organisations and initiatives from all over Germany are calling for the abolition of Section 218 without replacement, a right to voluntary counselling instead of the current compulsory counselling and the full assumption of costs for all.
The demonstrations are taking place against the backdrop of a cross-party group motion in the Bundestag that seeks to reorganise abortion. The motion is expected to be debated in the Bundestag for the first time on 5 December 2024. The proposers are aiming for it to be passed before the next parliamentary elections, but politicians from the CDU/CSU, FDP and AfD are strongly attacking the proposal.’
The members of the Bundestag have a historic opportunity to legalise abortion before the next general election. We must not allow conservative and right-wing forces to prevent this. We will therefore show them on 7 December: We are the majority and we want legalisation,’ says Leonie Weber from the “Legalise abortion - now” campaign. Jascha Anders from the campaign adds: ‘By sticking to the 12-week deadline and the counselling requirement, the bill falls far short of our demands. The committees must now make adjustments. We don't want half measures, we want reproductive self-determination for everyone.’
The demonstrations are the culmination of the civil society campaign ‘Legalise abortion - now!’ and join a number of political efforts to legalise abortion this year, including the report of the expert commission on reproductive self-determination and reproductive medicine, the results of the ELSA study and a civil society bill to legalise abortion. The full list of signatories and further information on the demonstrations can be found at https://abtreibung-legalisieren.de/
Statement on budget cuts by the Berlin Museums Association
On 26 November, the Berlin Museum Association published a statement on the Berlin Senate's cuts to the cultural sector. According to the Senate's decision, the cultural budget is to be cut by 130 million euros, a 13 per cent reduction. This is in addition to the cuts in collective agreements. With a share of 2.1 per cent, the culture department is the smallest in the overall budget and the above-average cuts have a strong negative impact.
The Association of Berlin Museums supports the position of the #BerlinIstKultur alliance: "The cuts will permanently destroy the cultural infrastructure and lead to drastic programme cuts, redundancies and closures. Diversity, excellence, resilience and social cohesion are at stake."
Please see the following link for more information on the statement:
Leipzig Study on Authoritarianism: United in resentment (published 13 November 2024)
Die Leipziger Autoritarismus-Studie 2024 erschien am 13. November 2024.
How have right-wing extremist and authoritarian attitudes changed in Germany in 2024?
Are prejudices and resentments on the rise again in uncertain times? And how do Germans feel about democracy today? As a representative long-term survey, the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study 2024 can show the development of attitudes over time and offer explanations.
Since 2002, researchers at the University of Leipzig have been analysing the development of authoritarian and far-right attitudes in Germany, first as the Centre Study and since 2018 as the Authoritarianism Study. The Authoritarianism Study 2024 analyses in particular anti-Semitism, sexism and anti-feminism, disenchantment with democracy and the social conditions of resentment.
The study was edited by Oliver Decker, Johannes Kiess, Ayline Heller and Elmar Brähler. The study is supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Otto Brenner Foundation.
The full study can be downloaded from the following link:
On Saturday, 23 November 2024, the lantern demonstration "Rent down - dragon up" initiated by Bizim Kiez will take place at 4pm at Rio-Reiser-Platz. The aim of this demonstration is to show solidarity and fight against the displacement of tenants and small shops in Kreuzberg. Immediate measures against property speculation will be demanded, including a nationwide rent cap, the socialisation of housing companies and protection mechanisms against owner-occupier evictions.
The background to the initiative is the worrying development in neighbourhoods where there is an urgent lack of affordable housing, while at the same time there is an increase in tourist development. The event aims to draw attention to these shortcomings and to promote vibrant neighbourhoods and social justice.
Press release on the publication of Nicotine Explained by William Portner by the Non-Smokers' Association Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.
Ways out of nicotine addiction - A new book explains the psychology of nicotine addiction
Why can't so many people kick the habit of smoking or vaping? No other book presents the physical and psychological aspects of nicotine addiction as clearly and comprehensively as Nicotine Explained by William Porter, now available for the first time in German.
With the recent rise in the number of young people smoking and vaping in Germany, the new publication Nicotine Explained by English author William Porter is an essential contribution to raising awareness of nicotine and addiction.
The easy-to-read non-fiction and self-help book is aimed primarily at people who smoke, vape, or otherwise use nicotine and want to stop. Porter explains in great detail how nicotine affects our bodies and minds, why and how it is addictive, and why it seems so difficult to quit. He shows how the drug binds to the brain and changes its chemistry and how it damages the body and makes people sluggish, insecure, and restless. The interactions with hunger and obesity, sleep and fitness, and alcohol are also explained.
A way out of addiction
Because nicotine turns the brain's chemistry upside down, users find it indispensable. Cigarettes, vapes, heat-not-burn devices, nicotine patches, and chewing gum - they all manipulate us to see their poison as a cure and glamorize their use as positive. William Porter meticulously exposes the complex mechanisms of addiction and fantasy and prepares his readers for the mental gymnastics of nicotine withdrawal.
Rainer Herrmann, publisher and chairman of the Non-Smokers' Association Berlin-Brandenburg e.V., says of the book: "William Porter explains like no other why nicotine is so addictive, how it tricks our brain and how we can break the vicious circle. Once you see through the trickery, you will lose the desire for cigarettes, vapes, and the like. With this knowledge, it's virtually impossible to carry on.
Herrmann also explains why the non-profit organization publishes the book in German: "Compared to other countries, too little is being done in Germany to restrict the consumption of tobacco and nicotine products. However, nicotine is a drug that is still the biggest preventable cause of premature death and serious health problems in the population, which is why civil society initiatives like ours need to raise awareness".
DiMUS—Dieter Mennekes Umweltstiftung kindly supports the German edition of the book. It is available now (October 2024) in paperback, hardcover, and e-book on Amazon. An audiobook version is planned.
New publication:
William Porter: Nicotine Explained.
Find out why you smoke, vape, or use other nicotine products and how to stop.
Published by Nichtraucherbund Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.
