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Screenshot of the new question portal at parliamentwatch.de: Here you can find out who wants to represent your own constituency
Photo: Abuellenwatch.de
The top staff determine the headlines before the federal election, but a number of candidates are running in each of the 299 German constituencies.
Two months before election Sunday, the organization parliamentwatch.de launched a new question portal on which voters can request precise information from all 2,500 candidates.
The portal operated by the Parlamentwatch eV association is normally used to communicate with the elected mandate holders. Shortly before the election, however, applicants from all parties who have not yet been elected will also receive their own profile with which they can answer questions from the population. In the last election campaign 9,000 questions came together in this way.
The operators hope that 80 percent of the questions will actually be answered. For those who have already been elected, users of the portal can read extensive information from the party program to voting behavior, for political newcomers only a short personal statement. The questions can relate to any topic. However, insults, unsubstantiated claims and personal information should not be activated in the first place. The answers should stay online permanently.
In order to offer the voters more orientation, Parlamentwatch wants to put a "personal candidate check" online three to four weeks before the election date.
Similar to the »Wahl-O-Mat«, users can then compare their own opinion with the attitude of the constituency applicants on 24 political theses.
Spokeswoman Léa Briand said the aim is for those eligible to vote to go to the polling station on September 26 "as well prepared as possible".
tmk / dpa