Putin Posters Appear in German Election Campaign
Election posters featuring German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin have appeared in Bonn and its surroundings. Who put them up, and what messages do they convey?
The posters were placed by a small satirical German party called “Die Partei” (The Party). They were put up in early January as part of the campaign for the Bundestag snap elections scheduled for February 23, reports DW.
On the posters, featuring Scholz and Putin, the slogans read: “Germany’s Strongest Voices for Europe” and “Vote for Die Partei – Don’t Leave Europe to Lajen!” The term “Lajen” is a play on words, referencing the last name of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen while also meaning “layman” or “amateur” in German. In essence, the message translates to: “Don’t Leave Europe to Amateurs!”
Currently, Die Partei holds no seats in the Bundestag or state parliaments. However, between 2020 and 2021, they had one representative, Marco Bülow, in the Bundestag, and they currently have two members in the European Parliament.
This year’s ironic campaign slogans include:
- “No World War Without Germany!”
- “Vote for Die Partei – It’s Very Good!”
- “Don’t Mess with Your Cross!” (referring to both voting marks and religious symbolism)
The latter slogan is on a poster featuring a long-haired man with a crown of thorns, an allusion to Jesus Christ. The word “cross” is a play on marking ballots in German elections.
What Do the Putin Posters Mean?
The Bonn branch of Die Partei told Deutsche Welle that the posters featuring Scholz and Putin were first used in June 2024 ahead of the European Parliament elections. “They illustrate Germany’s strongest voices in shaping Europe,” the party stated, emphasizing that the message is both ironic and critical of Scholz.
Die Partei openly calls Putin a “jerk” and labels him an “aggressor who started a war.” The party criticizes Scholz for allegedly aiding Putin by not sending enough weapons to Ukraine. However, they clarified that these posters are displayed only in Bonn, not nationwide.
Putin on Other Parties’ Posters
Although no other German party has used Putin’s image in election posters, his name appears in some slogans. For example, the German branch of the pan-European party Volt Europe, which advocates for deeper EU integration, has a campaign poster stating:
“Let’s Take Back the Future with a Strong Europe Against Trump and Putin.”
On the other hand, the far-left Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD) features a poster reading:
“Stop Putin and NATO! No Weapons Deliveries!”
MLPD is under surveillance by Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which describes its goals as opposing “the fundamental principles of the free democratic basic order.” Authorities cite three core elements of MLPD’s ideology: revolution, the dictatorship of the proletariat, and communism.
Ukraine War Not a Central Campaign Issue
A review of election posters and online advertisements in several German cities shows that, apart from the mentioned examples, Ukraine and Russia’s invasion have barely appeared in the campaign.
Among Bundestag parties, only the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance features a message related to the war, stating:
“Our Country Wants Peace.”
However, this slogan does not explicitly mention Ukraine.
Former Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin, Andrij Melnyk, criticized this omission, stating on social media:
“The fact that Ukraine has almost disappeared from the election campaign is devastating. We must not allow this to happen.”
Melnyk, now Ukraine’s permanent representative to the United Nations, is known for his controversial statements regarding Stepan Bandera, a historical figure seen by some as a nationalist hero and by others as a fascist collaborator.
