Abstract

In the new federal states in the East, the PDS tried to cast off the stigma of being the successor party to the Socialist Unity Party [Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands or SED], and it sought to establish itself as a legitimate democratic alternative on the left side of the political spectrum. For this reason, it was even willing to continue tolerating the SPD-led government in Saxony-Anhalt. Alliance 90/The Greens made a strong start in the election campaign, but their dogmatic election platform, which included plans to raise gasoline prices to 5 Deutschmarks a liter (“eco-tax”) and to impose a speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour on the Autobahn, turned many voters off. They responded with a revised platform that no longer mentioned the unpopular proposed measures. Additionally, in the critical phase of the election, Alliance 90/The Greens focused on the popularity of Joschka Fischer, the best-known Green politician (shown on bottom poster). The poster reads: “New Majorities. Only with us!” The top poster, an advertisement for the PDS, reads: “It’s our country, too. More to the left, more about women.” 

Campaign Posters for Alliance 90/The Greens and the PDS (August 10, 1998)

  • Engelbert Reineke

Source

Source: REGIERUNGonline