September 26

It’s been more than a month since election day, but that doesn’t mean that the election is over. Olaf Scholz will be the next chancellor, coalition talks are in full swing, and The Union has had to take a long hard look at itself. But what does this mean for Germany, the future government and Angela Merkel?

Sumi Somaskanda of Deutsche Welle helps us unpack all this and more. Including looking into what the results said about how voters feel about climate policy. Why are so many young voters backing the liberal FDP, what’s next for the DWE housing referendum, and what’s going on while we wait for a government to be formed?

Thank you Sumi for chatting with us, RØDE for making our recordings possible, and Epidemic Sound for the theme song.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, help us make that happen by donating to our PayPal. The linked account is [email protected] - all donors will receive a virtual hug and a loving shoutout in the next episode.

Our theme song is City Phases by John Abbot, also featuring audio from Deutsche Welle, Deutsche Welle (2), Deutsche Welle (3) and TLDR News EU.

We’re just two days away from the big day. Politicians are making their final push, voters are asking the big questions and activists are making themselves heard.

In this episode of September 26 we are joined by Paulina Fröhlich, the Head of 'Future of Democracy' at Das Progressive Zentrum Berlin.

Paulina takes us through what happens in the hours and days after voting closes at 6pm on Sunday. Will there be massive US style watch-parties or will Germans be on the couch in front of Tagesschau? Will there be exit polls and when will we know who Merkel’s successor is? We look at the ‘new’ ways in which the candidates are connecting with the voters through social media and town hall conversations. And we acknowledge the dangers of having AfD present during the election period, and what their power in certain regions could mean for Germany.

Finally, Paulina shares the vital role that activists play during the election period and after. Looking toward climate action from the Friday’s for Future movement, Greta Thunberg taking part in the Berlin Climate strike, and how this influences parties and their policies.

Thank you Paulina for chatting with us, Pirate Studios for making our recordings possible, and Epidemic Sound for the theme song.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, help us make that happen by donating to our PayPal. The linked account is [email protected] - all donors will receive a virtual hug and a loving shoutout in the next episode.

Our theme song is City Phases by John Abbot, also featuring audio from Deutsche Welle, Deutsche Welle (2), Deutsche Welle (3) and TLDR News EU.

The big day is almost here and Germany’s election campaign season is heating up. With just two weeks to go, debates are being televised, parties are having literal parties, and local candidates handing out brochures to anyone who will take them. While the chancellor candidates are taking center stage, the German political machine is so much more than Annalena Baerbock, Olaf Scholz, and Armin Laschet.

In this episode, we speak to Julius van de Laar, a political strategist and communications expert with extensive campaigning experience of his own. He helps answer our questions about campaign finance, how political foundations play a role in campaigning both in Germany and abroad, and how candidates are slowly (but surely) devoting more of their time and funds to digital advertising. We also get into the nitty gritty of public and private donations, and the talk of “dark money”. And Julius also shares a bit about his own experience as a campaign strategist and how he helps German candidates.

Thank you Julius for chatting with us, Pirate Studios for making our recordings possible, and Epidemic Sound for the theme song.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, help us make that happen by donating to our PayPal. The linked account is [email protected] - all donors will receive a virtual hug and a loving shoutout in the next episode.

Our theme song is City Phases by John Abbot, also featuring audio from
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE7pKkeoUHw&t=5s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mVGsFhd9oY&t=22s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i52MGlRWf3Q&t=367s)
and TLDR News EU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RchwILo7HhQ&t=24s).

This year’s ‘Superwahltag’ or super election day will mark the exit of Angela Merkel as chancellor but that’s not all that is happening in Berlin. On September 26th, eligible voters in the German capital will also be asked to decide on two regional elections, and a much anticipated referendum!

James Jackson, a freelance journalist, joins us in the final episode of the batch to take a look at how Berliner’s usually vote, what issues they care about and how the city state does or doesn’t influence national politics.
We explore local candidates, their policies and their strongholds. How have they been received so far, and how have the various scandals affected their standing? James also sheds light on the housing referendum, it’s similarity to the Brexit referendum, and what the potential outcomes could mean for citizens.
Thank you James for chatting with us, Pirate Studios for making our recordings possible, and Epidemic Sound for the theme song.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, help us make that happen by donating to our PayPal. The linked account is [email protected] - all donors will receive a virtual hug and a loving shoutout in the next episode.

Our theme song is City Phases by John Abbot, also featuring audio from
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE7pKkeoUHw&t=5s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mVGsFhd9oY&t=22s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i52MGlRWf3Q&t=367s)
and TLDR News EU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RchwILo7HhQ&t=24s).

In three weeks time, Germans will vote to elect a new Bundestag or federal parliament. The country’s biggest parties and their top players are currently vying for your attention and your vote. But who are these key players and what exactly are their policies?

In this episode we are joined by journalist Kate Brady to get a better understanding of the chancellor candidates and the parties themselves. How do parties choose a chancellor candidate? Does Annalena Baerbock have a chance of coming in ahead? How could Armin Laschet maintain the stability some Germans are looking for from the CDU? How has Olaf Scholz become the frontrunner? What will happen to the grand coalition come September 26? How do smaller parties like the FDP, AFD, and Die Linke impact the coalition-building process?

Thank you Kate for chatting with us, Pirate Studios for making our recordings possible, and Epidemic Sound for the theme song.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, help us make that happen by donating to our PayPal. The linked account is [email protected] - all donors will receive a virtual hug and a loving shoutout in the next episode.

Our theme song is City Phases by John Abbot, also featuring audio from
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE7pKkeoUHw&t=5s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mVGsFhd9oY&t=22s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i52MGlRWf3Q&t=367s)
and TLDR News EU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RchwILo7HhQ&t=24s).

We’ve seen a clear and often founded rise in the level of disenchantment and apathy among voters. Just taking a look at recent election outcomes across various world powers, it’s no surprise that people feel like their votes hold no significance. Especially when they are living in Germany, paying taxes and building the economy, but hold no legal right to vote. Why does it even matter? Well, it matters for a number of reasons.
In this episode we are joined by William Noah Glucroft, a reporter who has been living in Berlin for 12 years and works covering Germany and transatlantic relations. William highlights the importance of knowing what's going on in your city, your state and your country. Particularly a country like Germany, the 4th largest economy in the world, with huge economic impact and political influence on the European Union and the world. As we look to a new chancellor and the possibility of change, we explore what your vote could mean for the future of climate policy, Germany’s actions with the situation in Afghanistan, trade, transport, housing, healthcare and much more.
Thank you William for chatting with us, Pirate Studios for making our recordings possible, and Epidemic Sound for the theme song.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, help us make that happen by donating to our PayPal. The linked account is [email protected] - all donors will receive a virtual hug and a loving shoutout in the next episode.

Our theme song is City Phases by John Abbot, also featuring audio from
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE7pKkeoUHw&t=5s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mVGsFhd9oY&t=22s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i52MGlRWf3Q&t=367s)
and TLDR News EU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RchwILo7HhQ&t=24s).

We’re a month away from Germany’s big day and eligible voters have begun to receive their election notifications. Understanding the basics of how an election works is obviously helpful, but it is vital that you know who, or what, you’re voting for. Are you voting for a party? A person? What about bills?

In this episode, Kai Wegrich, a professor for Public Administration & Public Policy at The Hertie School in Berlin, joins Jill and Julia to explore the history of voting in Germany, the difference between elections to the Bundestag (Germany's federal parliament), the Landtags (states), and local elections, and the role that mayors play in the country. We also get into what to do when you receive your Wahlbenachrichtigung (election notification), how to fill out a ballot, how postal voting works and much more.

Thank you Kai for chatting with us, Pirate Studios for making our recordings possible, and Epidemic Sound for the theme song.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, help us make that happen by donating to our PayPal. The linked account is [email protected] - all donors will receive a virtual hug and a loving shoutout in the next episode.

Our theme song is City Phases by John Abbot, also featuring audio from
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE7pKkeoUHw&t=5s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mVGsFhd9oY&t=22s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i52MGlRWf3Q&t=367s)
and TLDR News EU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RchwILo7HhQ&t=24s).

The 2021 German elections are said to be a super election, potentially the biggest since reunification. After 16 years, September 26 marks the end of the ‘Merkel Era’ and Germans will head to the polls to decide the next leaders of Europe’s largest economy... But how does it work? And who leads? Is it one party or many? And what exactly is the Bundestag?

In the inaugural episode of this series we start at the very beginning. Jill and Julia are joined by Clare Richardson (https://twitter.com/clarereports), a journalist and news anchor, currently reporting on her second round of German elections. We learn the structure of the German parliamentary system, the difference between the president and the chancellor, and how local, state and federal elections function. We also explore the rules of campaigning, how parties get one of the 709 seats available in parliament, why Germany operates under a coalition government, and much more.

Thank you Clare for chatting with us, Pirate Studios for making our recordings possible, and Epidemic Sound for the theme song.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, help us make that happen by donating to our PayPal. The linked account is [email protected] - all donors will receive a virtual hug and a loving shoutout in the next episode.

Our theme song is City Phases by John Abbot, also featuring audio from
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE7pKkeoUHw&t=5s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mVGsFhd9oY&t=22s),
Deutsche Welle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i52MGlRWf3Q&t=367s)
and TLDR News EU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RchwILo7HhQ&t=24s).

The first episode of September 26 comes out on August 30 .