Dirty city: election posters disturb pedestrians in Pasewalk!

Dirty city: election posters disturb pedestrians in Pasewalk!

The elections are on everyone's lips in the region, especially given the election posters by Inken Arndt and Erik von Malottki that are still present. The posters are hanging a full 33 days after the district election and 19 days after the decisive runoff election and are causing a lot of conversation. Nordkurier reports that the posters of Malottki, the defeated candidate, are badly damaged due to the weather and still adorn the streets. Inken Arndt, on the other hand, who won the election against Malottki, will now face CDU candidate Michael Sack on May 25th.

While Arndt accepts the challenge, Sack has already properly dismantled his posters. “This step is important to avoid warning letters,” he said. Danilo Futh, an administrative official from Löcknitz, announced that both the SPD and the AfD would have to remove their posters again. The first request for removal was made on June 10th, but the deadline had now expired. Failure to do so could result in a replacement, which means that a third party could remove the posters at the parties' expense, plus a fine of 300 euros.

Legal basis of election advertising

Election advertising is a hot topic not only in the region, but also nationwide. As Anwaltauskunft states, election posters must not have any unconstitutional content and must adhere to the neutrality requirement. For example, public posters may not be displayed in town halls, schools or courts. Election posters may only be hung on private property with the consent of the owner.

Another interesting point is the legal situation after the elections. Election posters often have to be removed within 14 days of the election, otherwise they are considered an administrative offense according to the Roads and Highways Act of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Violations are often only taken into account after the threat of measures, as identified by the head of the authority.

Election advertising in a political context

Overall, election posters serve to present parties and their political programs to win votes. This is anchored in the Bundeswahlleiter, even if there are no specific legal regulations that regulate election advertising in detail. Protection for this form of advertising comes, among other things, from Article 5 of the Basic Law, which emphasizes freedom of the press and art as well as party privilege.

It remains to be seen how the parties and the responsible authorities will deal with the situation of the forgotten posters. Karl-Heinz Endruweit from Penkun has already pointed out the problem: “The faded posters affect the cityscape and narrow footpaths.” This makes it clear that not only the parties are responsible, but also the administration is required to preserve the cityscape and reopen the traffic routes for pedestrians.