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Honest politics for Schweinfurt: Grätsch wants to actively involve citizens!
Sandra Grätsch, mayoral candidate in Schweinfurt, relies on honesty and citizen participation for a new policy.
Honest politics for Schweinfurt: Grätsch wants to actively involve citizens!
Cologne's political landscape is facing an exciting change, as the election campaign of Sandra Grätsch, the mayoral candidate of the SWN (Schweinfurt-Wandel-Neubeginn) free voters' group, makes clear. Their approach focuses on proximity to citizens and honest, transparent politics. “There has to be an end to the previous ‘Keep it up!’,” explains Grätsch and emphasizes that sensible decisions for citizens should be the priority. One of their central demands is the introduction of a citizens' forum to actively involve residents in important city decisions. In doing so, she criticizes the previous procedures, which were often taken without extensive citizen participation, for example in the area of local public transport (ÖPNV).
According to current surveys, the Newsallianz assesses Grätsch's chances for the mayor's post as good. She is determined to continue to seek dialogue with citizens after the election in order to take their concerns and concerns seriously. A central aspect of their campaign is to regain trust in politics, which has greatly diminished among the population.
Citizen participation as a key issue
But what exactly is citizen participation? The term is complex and ranges from formal processes such as elections and voting to unconventional forms that often arise from civil society. This context shows the importance and the diverse possibilities of co-determination, which go beyond the classic electoral systems. The trend towards more citizen engagement is clearly visible and is also being discussed in national discussions, such as the Citizens' Assembly that will soon take place at the Bundestag. Here, citizen participation should serve as a supplement to parliamentary democracy.
Loud The Parliament Trust in parliamentary democracy is declining: voter turnout is declining and public debates are becoming increasingly fragmented. At the same time, citizens' assemblies show the potential to mobilize new participants and find consensual solutions, which benefits politics. With her approach of putting citizen participation at the center of her election program, Grätsch could rely on this trend and bring about positive change in Cologne.
The challenges of today's democracy
The current social conditions require a rethinking of political communication. The recommendations for citizen participation, as also made by the State Center for Political Education Baden-Württemberg are explained, show that the change in civil society - caused by social and individual changes - has been observed since the 1950s. This describes today a pluralization of society that includes different lifestyles and has significantly reduced trust in political institutions.
In summary, it can be said that Sandra Grätsch's ambitions for citizen-oriented and transparent government action grow out of a larger trend that is intended to strengthen trust in the political landscape. A citizens' forum could be a first step in the right direction to encourage colonials to live better together. Ultimately, this could be the key to revitalizing the political system and giving citizens a voice.