By Ulrike Kiefert
Translation by Raymond R. Watson, M.A.
Many independent candidates are running in the federal election, although they have little chance of making it in the German parliament. Two of these lone wolves are Frigga Wendt and Christian Pape. Berliner Woche (Berlin Weekly) spoke to them. Independent candidates are heavily involved in the election campaign. However, mathematically speaking, they have little chance of being elected to Bundestag, the German Parliament. There are well over 2,500 individual candidates running nationwide. In Berlin, 121 candidates in twelve constituencies are vying for the first vote. So why would someone take on the exhausting election campaign when they know they have little chance of success?
Frigga Wendt, who signs her emails with “FriGGa”, probably has better chances than most. The 44-year-old has already campaigned in two federal elections. In 2017, she didn’t do too badly for an independent candidate with 1,200 votes. Four years later, she only received 120 votes. Nevertheless, Wendt is running again on February 23 for the federal electoral district 82 in Friedrichshain/Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg East. She’s competing against eight contenders there, including an independent candidate like herself. According to the official gazette, in all of Berlin four independent candidates are trying their luck. Wendt firmly believes that she will be elected to the Bundestag. Her motivation? To actively shape politics, to make what the German parliament offers “more extensive” and therefore more diverse, to “shed light on aspects that are missing in big politics as a little independent.” She is also frustrated with the established parties. Frigga Wendt wants to use her candidacy to “make the unconditional basic income as a human right, electable and visible.” This is what the German state of Schwerin native is advocating for. The key phrase next to her name on the ballot is: “Bedingungsloses- Grundeinkommen-als- Menschenrecht.de” (Unconditional basic income as a human right). Her vision: the basic income as a right to exist for all, direct democracy and an election campaign in which people vote on issues and content, “not on people.” This is important to her and that is why Frigga Wendt has decided to take on the task of an election campaign without the structural and financial support of a party.
“Parties take themselves far too seriously,” says Wendt. And besides, who can represent her ideas and needs better than herself? “Of course, even if I were elected, I as an individual cannot automatically convince the rest of the Bundestag that it is finally time to recognize a human right to economic existence,” says Wendt. “But I can give my own concerns and that of many other people national attention and foster discussion.” But there’s also a hint of satire when the “freelancer, who supplements her welfare, and tutor for basic and human rights” – this is how the ballot describes Wendt’s professional background – promises voters “everything they want to hear” before the election. Or when she states on her website that her motive for running is “to have a well-paid job.” Like Frigga Wendt, Christian Pape is also a maverick. The economist is running in the Berlin district Neukölln. The catchphrase link for his election campaign is ”www.abgeordnetenwatch.de/profile/christian- pape” (representative-watch.de/…). Wendt and Pape know each other from previous election campaigns, events, petition drives and initiatives. They’ve also collected signatures together. In order to qualify as an independent candidate in your constituency, you need 200 so-called supporting signatures. Normally, this is easy to do in time. Especially in summer. This time, however, the deadline was rather tight due to the early election date, which both criticize. It’s cold outside and it gets dark quickly. Not everyone likes to be chatted up by strangers without a campaign booth.
Christian Pape, who has written an entire book, „Die Grenzen des deutschen Wirtschaftswachstums’’, (The Limits of German Economic Growth) about his reasons for running for the German parliament, would like voters to be informed early on about the parties and candidates they can choose from. “For example, a booklet could be sent with the election voting card in which all parties and district election candidates are named and can present themselves via a short text,” Pape points out. Including a link for further information. This helps the independent candidates who otherwise hardly anyone – neither politicians nor the media – has on their radar. And the voters benefit from it too. According to Pape, they would not just see all the choices when they first get to the voting booth.
In the last few weeks before the federal election, Frigga Wendt and Christian Pape will be campaigning, campaigning, campaigning. She wants to hang posters painted herself, distribute flyers, and advertise online. He, on the other hand, is not using posters this time, preferring to campaign in person and “approach people directly”. Christian Pape feels he’s better remembered that way. In any case, both of them have to invest “an incredible amount of time” so that voters might vote for them in the end.
