Citizens can ask candidates direct questions online ahead of the Saxon state parliament elections on September 1. On Tuesday, project manager Louiza Charalambous announced that the 526 direct candidates from the 60 constituencies are represented with a profile on the question portal of the dialog platform abgeordnetenwatch.de.
From now until 31 August - the evening before the election - voters can publicly ask questions on political topics on the respective profiles, with the answers coming directly from the candidates. The aim is to give citizens the opportunity to vote for the person who best represents their interests, said Charalambous. "Democracy thrives on interest, diverse offers and transparent information." According to the information provided, around 600 questions were received in the last state election in 2019, with a response rate of 72 percent.
"Candidate check" goes online on August 1
An additional orientation aid from abordnetenwatch.de will go online on August 1 with the "Candidate check". Users will be able to compare their own positions on 15 theses on state politics with those of the candidates. In addition, the parties' election manifestos and information on voting rights will be made available on the website.
The State Agency for Civic Education has taken over the patronage of the election project for the first time this year. "Voting decisions should not only be based on emotions, but also on expertise and foresight. This is what both of our commitments stand for," said Roland Löffler, President of the State Agency, according to a statement.
The dialog platform abgeordnetenwatch.de was founded in 2004. According to its own information, around 300,000 questions have been put to state and federal politicians since then - 80 percent of which have been answered. The aim of the operators is to create more transparency.
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