People running for the Bundestag will no longer have to disclose their personal address. This is to minimize the risk of becoming victims of violent acts or politically motivated stalking. The ordinance amending the Federal Election Act, which was notified to parliament this week, states that in the future only the date of birth will be required instead of the date of birth, and the place of residence will be required instead of the address. It is also possible to provide a contact address instead of the place of residence if the applicant can prove to the local return officer that a block of information about him has been entered in the registration register. However, specifying a post office box alone is not enough to qualify as a candidate.
Green MP Misbah Khan believes all committed people, including freelance journalists, volunteers and local politicians, should be better protected from attacks. (Archive photo) Photo: Jörg Carstensen/dpa
The fact that candidates were previously required to disclose their personal addresses under election rules was not only an unnecessary hurdle, but also posed a significant security risk to applicants, said Green Home Affairs politician Misbah Khan. So the recent changes to federal election rules are a significant step forward, especially given the significant increase in right-wing extremist crime.
But more needs to be done to better protect local politicians, volunteers, freelance journalists and others from attacks. A key step here is a proposed change to the Federal Registration Act, which is set to be read for the first time in the full House of Representatives next week. Among other things, it would extend the information blackout period from two years to four. Anyone who has been targeted by criminals or extremists through their professional or volunteer activities would be able to apply for such a blackout. It would also raise the hurdles to registering a person.
