What Is an Election Manifesto?
Before an election, political parties present their election manifestos. This applies in federal, state, and local elections. In the manifestos, parties set out in writing the goals they intend to pursue. These goals reflect the issues that are important to the party during the upcoming legislative term—that is, the electoral term. The manifesto serves as the basis for the election campaign. By presenting it to the public, party representatives explain why voters should vote for them.
An election manifesto should not be confused with a party programme. A party programme usually remains in force for several years and sets out the values and issues that the party fundamentally stands for, regardless of whether an election is approaching.
Political parties publish their election manifestos on their websites. Before an election, extracts from the manifesto are also usually distributed at party information stands in the form of brochures or flyers.
What Is a Party Profile?
As soon as a political party is founded, all of its goals are set out in writing. This ensures that voters know what the party stands for and which issues it considers important. These issues and goals shape the party’s profile and are published in the party programme.
Unlike the election manifesto, which is rewritten before every election, the party programme—and therefore the party profile—remains valid for several years. It serves as a long-term guideline. A party’s political position can be understood directly from its party profile or party programme.
Most parties also have state programmes for each federal state, including Berlin.. This allows political parties to highlight regional political priorities that are important to people in that particular state.
What Is a Political Position?
A political position describes where a person or political party stands on a particular issue. Decisions are then made on the basis of this position. These may be personal decisions, such as which party to vote for in an upcoming election. They may also be political decisions, for example during a vote or in the process of passing a new law.
The political positions of individuals and parties are often shaped by the so-called left-right spectrum. This spectrum illustrates the wide range of political views. It extends from positions strongly oriented toward change on the left, through liberal positions in the centre, to strongly conservative positions on the right. Political parties in Germany can also be placed within this spectrum.
Die Linke, for example, advocates policies that focus on social justice. As its name suggests, it belongs to the left of the political spectrum. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), on the other hand, is positioned within the right-wing populist spectrum and, in some respects, even the far-right.
It is important to remember that political positions are held not only by politicians and parties, but by every individual. Anyone who reflects on political debates often develops their own political position on these issues.
Here you can find the Berlin Wiki page of Berliner Morgenpost.
(Header image: © FUNKE Foto Services | Reto Klar)
