2010 State Elections in Germany

[Tender Branson]

I´ve read that there will be a big Population and Housing Census in Germany in May next year.

Is this an issue in state elections or not ?

I´ve read that there are many concerns about data protection and a group went to court to prevent the Census.

The first stage of the Census already started with all home owners getting mail in the last days, even dead people who were still listed as the "home owners".

Contrary to the US, people in Germany have to pay the postage stamp in this Census, not the Census office, which I find stupid. If the Census office would pay the stamps, more people would co-operate in the stock-taking.

I´ve also read that there are likely to be 2 Mio. less people living in Germany when the results are announced, mostly because of many Karteileichen, which are people who are either dead or moved to another place/country, without being purged from the town registries.

[Franzl]

I've heard about it as well....although we haven't gotten any mail yet.

[Tender Branson]

I've heard about it as well....although we haven't gotten any mail yet.

You'll probably get one (or more) in the next weeks then ...

BTW: Do you know if people who are registered with main residences (Hauptwohnsitz) @ some place in Germany, but who live for example in Austria or Spain etc. for 8 months of the year for seasonal work, are counted in the Census ?

[Franzl]

I've heard about it as well....although we haven't gotten any mail yet.

You'll probably get one (or more) in the next weeks then ...

BTW: Do you know if people who are registered with main residences (Hauptwohnsitz) @ some place in Germany, but who live for example in Austria or Spain etc. for 8 months of the year for seasonal work, are counted in the Census ?

I have no idea really. Anything I could say here would be a guess.

[Franzl]

Berlin state election (Infratest, 10/27)

Greens 30%
SPD 22%
CDU 20%
The Left 17%
FDP 3%

Possible coalitions:
Greens/SPD
Greens/CDU
Greens/Left

So believe it or not....I've made the decision that I would vote Green if I voted in Berlin...

Not because I like Künast or anything....but anything to get rid of Wowereit is acceptable to me. And it's not like anybody but SPD or Greens have a chance of forming government in Berlin anyway.