#256: Re-Election® results, S- and U-Bahn pretty punctual, Tree art ban
#256: Re-Election® results, S- and U-Bahn pretty punctual, Tree art ban
Knifecrab's take on German doctors
Dear 20 Percent,
On Sunday voters in around 20% of Berlin electoral districts cast votes in a partial do-over of the 2021 Bundestag (lower house of parliament) elections, when the Berlin Marathon disrupted the election so much, irregularities ensued and a court ordered a repeat.
In Germany, voters get two votes each: a “first vote” for a specific candidate in a specific district (“direct mandates”) and a “second vote” for the party of their choice. The candidate with the most “first votes” represents that district in parliament. After Sunday’s election no “direct mandates” changed hands.
Additional parliamentary seats are divvied up based on the reult of the “second vote” — ensuring that smaller parties that never win the “first vote” are also represented in the Bundestag.
The main winners of Sunday’s re-election were the conservative CDU and the far-right AfD, who both improved their share of the vote by about one percentage point, if you combine the 2021 and 2024 results. The parties that make up the unpopular “traffic light” coalition running the country (SPD, Greens, FDP) lost support.
Berlin as a whole lost out. Because turnout was so low (51% versus 75.4% in 2021), Berlin ended up losing four seats in the Bundestag under the rather complicated proportional representation rules. The next Bundestag elections take place next year, so Sunday’s election was little more than an exercise in democratic correctness. Hopefully, with the side effect of Berlin rapidly learning how to not f**k up an election.
I have to mention, though, that my favourite underdog party attracted a respectable 4,296 “second” votes: The Party for Biomedical Rejuvenation Research which even has an English site and promises a massive injection of state funds into anti-aging research. Who doesn’t want to live forever?
More news below.
Maurice
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Berlin S-Bahn’s top dog
First the bad news: the percentage of German S-Bahns that were punctual fell from 95% in 2021 to 91.5% in the second half of 2023, reports ntv. The silver lining: Berlin’s S-Bahn shares the title of “most punctual” with Hamburg, even though the punctuality rate fell from 97.9% in 2019 to 95% last year. Take that, Munich (89.5%). Meanwhile, BVG, which runs trams, buses and the U-Bahn released its own punctuality stats for last year: the U-Bahn was punctual 98.4% of the time, even though in 2021 that figure was an even more impressive 99%.
Tree art ban
You’d think the Greens would be into stuff like this, but no. Artist Olivier Jaffrot, who has been creating sculptures from tree stumps and dead wood in Treptower Park for eleven years, has been banned from pursuing his lifework by Claudia Leistner (Greens), the district councillor for urban development, roads, green spaces and the environment. The sculptures have been fenced off accordingly. Leistner argues that Jaffrot disturbs breeding water birds and the insects and fungi native to the dead wood he works with. Jaffrot told taz newspaper that he was “devastated”. He says he worked six days a week on the sculptures and each one took two years to complete.
N26: IPO in 3-5 years
The CEO of Berlin online bank N26, Valentin Stalf, told Sifted that the company will be ready to go public in the next few years. The bank, a favourite with expats, has a rocky road behind it: German banking regulator BaFin fined N26 €4.25m for failing to enact sufficient money laundering controls back in 2021. N26, which once held the title of Germany’s most valuable start-up, was subsequently forced to limit customer growth to 50k/month, down from the 170k/month it was claiming before the fine. That limit has since been eased to 60k/month. Stalf said the bank aimed to reach profitablity this year.
Knifecrab
Some event tips, curated by our partners at the newsletter The Next Day Berlin:
Concert: Beirut Thu-Sat, 15-17.02, 8 pm. Tempodrom, Möckernstrasse 10. Tickets: €49.50
Beirut brings their eclectic fusion of indie folk, Balkan folk, and Eastern European influences to Berlin. Their latest album, 🎧 "Hadsel," is a triumphant celebration of life.
Art: Poetics of Encryption: Art and the Technocene Opening Friday, 16.02, 7 pm. KW Institute, Auguststrasse 69. Free admission.
"Poetics of Encryption: Art and the Technocene" delves into the opacity of digital technology, exploring its impact on culture and power dynamics. Featuring over 40 artists, the show examines themes of exclusion and secrecy across analog and digital media, inspired by Nadim Samman's book of the same title.
Party: Sahra سهرة Sat, 17.02, 11:59 pm - 6 am. Lido, Cuvrystrasse 7; Kreuzberg. Tickets: €20/22 Berlin electro SWANA club night for DJs and artists from the SWANA region and its diaspora. 🎧 Balout Crew
Did we mention that the biggest event of the year, the Berlinale kicks off Thursday. The Next Day Berlin devoted a post to the film festival, with 15 must-see movies.
Factoid
English Theatre Berlin was founded in 1990 under the name “Friends of Italian Opera”, code name for the mafia in the movie Some Like It Hot. The venue was given its more straightforward current name in 2006. February 15-29, the theatre will be hosting its annual Expo Festival: A Showcase of Wahlberliner*innen, showcasing works by international Berliners.
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