- Title: GERMANY: PREVIEW OF EUROPEAN ELECTIONS.
- Date: 9th June 2004
- Summary: (EU) BERLIN, GERMANY (JUNE, 4, 2004)(REUTERS -ACCESS ALL) 1. BERLIN SHOWING THE TELEVISION TOWER IN THE BACKGROUND, PAN TO AN ELECTION POSTER FOR THE SOCIALIST PDS PARTY SAYING "JUNE 13TH" 2. CLOSE UP OF DETAIL ON POSTER SHOWING A CROSS IN THE CIRCLE TO VOTE IN 3. WIDE OF THE FRANKFURTER ALLEE WITH AN ELECTION POSTER FOR THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT CDU PARTY IN THE BACKGROUND AND THE SOCIAL DEMOCRAT SPD PARTY IN THE FOREGROUND 4. WIDE OF A POSTER FOR THE SOCIALIST PDS PARTY SAYING "SO, SO" 5. CLOSE UP OF THE WORD EUROPE ON AN ELECTION POSTER 6. ELECTION POSTER ADVERTISING JUNE 13TH AND SHOWING THE EU STARS LOGO 7. PAN DOWN TO THE LOGO FOR THE SOCIAL DEMOCRAT SPD PARTY 8. AN ELECTION POSTER FOR THE GREEN PARTY SAYING "EUROPEAN ELECTIONS - YOU DECIDE" 9. CLOSE UP OF "YOU DECIDE" 10. MOVING SHOT PANNING PAST POSTERS FOR THE LIBERAL FDP PARTY, THE SOCIAL DEMOCRAT SPD PARTY AND THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT CDU PARTY 11. CLOSE UP OF POSTERS FOR THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT CDU PARTY 12. WIDE SHOWING TWO GIANT POSTERS, FOR THE SOCIAL DEMOCRAT SPD PARTY ON THE LEFT AND FOR THE OPPOSITION CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT PARTY ON THE RIGHT 13. CLOSE UP OF THE SPD POSTER SAYING "EUROPE - A POWER FOR PEACE", PAN ONTO THE CDU POSTER SHOWING THE PARTY CHAIRWOMAN ANGELA MERKEL 14. WIDE SHOWING EUROPEAN FLAGS WITH SOCIAL DEMOCRAT SPD POSTER AND LIBERAL FDP POSTER IN THE FOREGROUND 15. CLOSE UP OF LIBERAL FDP CANDIDATE FOR THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS SILVANA KOCH-MEHRIN ON ELECTION POSTER 16. WIDE SHOWING THE FLAGS FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION, GERMANY AND BERLIN, BLOWING IN THE WIND 17. CLOSE UP OF THE EU FLAG FLYING, WITH THE GERMAN FLAG IN THE BACKGROUND BERLIN, GERMANY (JUNE, 4, 2004)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 18. WIDE EXTERIOR OF THE FORSA POLLSTER INSTITUTE 19. MANFRED GUELLNER, CHAIRMAN OF FORSA, WALKS PAST THE CAMERA 20. SOUNDBITE (German) MANFRED GUELLNER, CHAIRMAN OF THE POLLSTERS, FORSA, SAYING: "It is like this: the SPD (Social Democratic Party) members are the least motivated to vote at the moment, followers of the Union (Christian Democratic Union) are a bit more motivated, but the Union will also not succeed in getting all its followers to go and vote. Followers of the smaller parties are the ones who are most likely to go and vote, and that is why these parties are doing so well in the polls. The reasons members of the (Christian Democratic) Union would vote are in fact to be found on a national level, they want to get rid of the ruling coalition between the Social Democrats and the Greens. The reasons why the (Social Democrat) SPD voters might stay at home are a mixture between disappointment with national policies and lack of interest in European politics." DORTMUND, GERMANY (JUNE 3, 2004)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 21. WIDE OF HALL WHERE SOCIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY ELECTION CAMPAIGN IS TAKING PLACE 22. ARRIVAL OF THE GERMAN CHANCELLOR GERHARD SCHROEDER (SOCIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY) AMIDST APPLAUSE 23. SCHROEDER GOES ONTO THE STAGE WITH THE SOCIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY CANDIDATE FOR THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS, MARTIN SCHULZ 24. CLOSE UP OF PHOTOGRAPHER 25. WIDE OF SCHROEDER AND SCHULZ ON THE STAGE 26. CLOSE UP OF SCHROEDER, SMILING AND LAUGHING 27. SOCIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY MEMBERS CLAPPING 28. WIDE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY CANDIDATE MARTIN SCHULZ SPEAKING, WITH A POSTER IN THE BACKGROUND SAYING "SPD - FAIR FOR THE FUTURE" 29. CLOSE UP OF MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC HOLDING AN SPD POSTER SAYING "SPD - A POWER FOR PEACE" AND SHOWING IT TO THEIR NEIGHBOUR SAARBRUCKEN, GERMANY (MAY 8, 2004)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 30. WIDE OF HALL WHERE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION IS TAKING PLACE, WITH A EUROPEAN UNION FLAG ON THE STAGE 31. LOGO FOR THE CDU IN FRONT OF A EUROPEAN FLAG 32. PEOPLE DRESSED UP ON COSTUMES MADE OF THE CDU FLAG AND THE EUROPEAN FLAG 33. LEADER OF THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION ANGELA MERKEL ON THE STAGE, FORMER GERMAN CHANCELLOR HELMUT KOHL JOINS HER 34. WIDE OF PUBLIC CLAPPING AND CHEERING 35. WIDE OF LEADER OF THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION ANGELA MERKEL ON THE STAGE, WITH FORMER GERMAN CHANCELLOR HELMUT KOHL, THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION CANDIDATE FOR THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS, HANS-GERT POETTERING, AND ALAIN JUPPE OF THE FRENCH CENTRE-RIGHT UMP (UNION FOR A POPULAR MOVEMENT) 36. WIDE OF A POSTER FOR THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS SAYING "GERMANY CAN DO MORE" 37. CLOSE UP OF MERKEL AND KOHL LAUGHING FRANKFURT, GERMANY (JUNE 3, 2004)(REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 38. WIDE OF INFORMATION STAND FOR THE GREEN PARTY ON THE MARKET SQUARE IN FRANKFURT 39. WIDE OF PUBLIC WATCHING THE ELECTION RALLY 40. GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER JOSCHKA FISCHER (GREEN PARTY) COMES ONTO THE STAGE AND IS GREETED BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY CHAIRWOMAN, EVELIN SCHNHUT-KEIL 41. WIDE OF PUBLIC 42. WIDE OF JOSCHKA FISCHER SPEAKING IN FRONT OF A POSTER SAYING "YOU DECIDE" STREMPT, GERMANY (MAY 28, 2004)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 43. WIDE OF THE VILLAGE OF STREMPT, SURROUNDED BY COUNTRYSIDE 44. LOCATION SIGN FOR STREMPT 45. WIDE SHOWING COWS IN A FIELD IN FRONT OF THE HOUSES 46. WIDE SHOWING POSTERS ON A BILLBOARD IN THE VILLAGE CENTRE, ONE FROM THE SOCIALST PDS PARTY SAYING "ITS ENOUGH" 47. DANIEL SCHILY, HEAD OF THE ORGANISATION "MORE DEMOCRACY" IN NORTH RHEIN-WESTFALIA AND THE MAYOR OF STREMPT, WOLF-DIETRICH SIMON CANVASSING FOR THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS AND DELIVERING INFORMATION ON THE REFERENDUM ON THE EUROPEAN CHARTER 48. MAYOR WOLF-DIETRICH SIMON GREETS STREMPT RESIDENT, WILLI, AND SHOWS HIM INFORMATION ON THE EU ELECTIONS AND CHARTER 49. DANIEL SCHILY AND WOLF-DIETRICH SIMON MOVE ON TO THE NEXT HOUSE 50. SCHILY AND WOLF-DIETRICH SIMON SHOWING A FEMALE RESIDENT INFORMATION ABOUT THE EU ELECTIONS AND CHARTER 51. SCHILY AND WOLF-DIETRICH SIMON CANVASSING ANOTHER RESIDENT AND SHOWING INFORMATION ON THE EU ELECTIONS AND CHARTER 52. SCHILY HANDS OVER A COPY OF THE CHARTER 53. CLOSE UP OF WOLF-DIETRICH SIMON TALKING TO THE RESIDENT 54. THEY SAY GOODBYE 55. CLOSE UP OF VOTING SLIP FOR THE EU REFERENDUM 56. SOUNDBITE (German) DANIEL SCHILY, HEAD OF THE ORGANISATION "MORE DEMOCRACY" IN NORTH RHEIN-WESTFALIA SAYING: "A Gallic village in Germany, that was immediately this ideal picture for us: to say, in there is a tiny place where there is resistance against Berlin, against Rome so to speak - in Berlin there is also a triumphal arch, the Brandenburg Gate, representing the Roman republic - who say, you are not allowed (to have a referendum on the EU charter), and we say: in one tiny village we shall resist." 57. POSTER IN COMIC "ASTERIX" STYLE SHOWING STREMPT IN THE MIDDLE OF NO-WHERE 58. SOUNDBITE (German) DANIEL SCHILY, HEAD OF THE ORGANISATION "MORE DEMOCRACY" IN NORTH RHEIN-WESTFALIA SAYING: "We can demonstrate, even in such a small village in the Eifel, that people can vote over such a relatively complex topic as a convention, and that they are interested in such things. And we hope that we see an increase in the voter turnout for the (European) elections here. And that can then be a sign for the rest of the republic, how they can go about combating the problem of low voter turnout." 59. VARIOUS OF POSTER IN COMIC "ASTERIX" STYLE SHOWING STREMPT INTHE MIDDLE OF NO-WHERE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 24th June 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VARIOUS, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA10GK7XJOL4VMADSNTWMGJFY2D
- Story Text: Lower voter turnout and national politics are clouding the
European elections in Germany.
Disinterest in European politics and disillusionment
with national politics are the distinguishing
characteristics of German voters in the run up to the
European elections on June 13th.
Most Germans are still undecided whom to vote for, but
Berlins ruling Social Democrats are likely to suffer from
the low voter turnout from their supporters in the
election, according to the German pollsters, the Forsa
Institute. They say this is due to discontent with national
policies and lack of interest in European politics across
the whole voting spectrum, but particularly amongst Social
Democrat voters disillusioned with the Chancellors
politics.
Supporters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are
more likely to go to the polls, says the Chairman of Forsa,
Manfred Guellner, but they are also voting on national
interests in an attempt to remove the ruling Social
Democrat-Green Coalition, he says.
The smaller parties are the ones most likely to benefit
from the disillusionment of the other voters, and that is
why, according to Guellner, they are doing so well in the
polls.
One tiny village in the pittoresque Eifel, is trying to
combat this disillusionment and low voter turnout. They are
organising a referendum on the European charter to take
place on the day of the European elections. Only 800 of the
1,000 residents of Strempt are of voting age, but they are
the only people in Germany who will - as yet - be able to
vote on whether they want an EU convention.
The vote is being organised by an organisation called,
More Democracy, headed by Daniel Schily, the head of the
organisation in Nordrhein-Westfalia and nephew of the
German Interior Minister. It was the ideal picture for them
he said, a tiny Gallic village in Germany resisting the
decrees from the capital, like the Gallic cartoon character
Asterix resisting the Romans.
Schily has been going round Strempt with the Mayor,
Wolf-Dietrich Simon, canvassing for the idea and providing
the residents with information on the charter and the EU in
general. "We can demonstrate, even in such a small village
in the Eifel, that people can vote over such a relatively
complex topic as a convention, and that they are interested
in such things," he says, "And we hope that we see an
increase in the voter turnout for the European elections
here." That, he says, can then be a sign for the rest of
the republic, how they can go about combating the problem
of low voter turnout.
Despite such attempts, a recent Forsa survey showed
that 57 percent of voters apparently havent made up their
mind who to vote for. Of the ones who have a preference, 45
percent would vote for the conservatives (CDU/CSU) and only
26 percent for the Social Democrats (SPD), sending them to
the record depths of the immediate postwar period when a
plethora of other parties left them with just under 30
percent of the national vote.
The coalitions junior Greens partner scored 14 percent
in the poll and the liberals (FDP) six percent.
In 1999 dissatisfaction with the new centre-left
government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder drove the SPDs
share of the vote to 30.7 percent, its worst level in 25
years of direct European elections.
The European election as the first nationwide test
since the 2002 general election.
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